Sunderland's hopes of landing 18-year-old Liverpool striker Ben Woodburn, 18, on loan appear to be over with Reds manager Jurgen Klopp refusing to let the Wales international leave. (Sun)

Former Newcastle executive director Dennis Wise has suggested that Magpies owner Mike Ashley is prepared to spend money this January - and insists he will sell the club to the right bidder. (Chronicle)

Brighton are set to put in a £2m bid for West Ham defender James Collins, although the 34-year-old Wales centre-back, who is in the final year of his contract, wants to stay with the Hammers. (Standard)

Bayern could also receive interest from Everton with regards to their 24-year-old Spanish left-back, Juan Bernat. (Liverpool Echo)

Manchester United and Armenia forward Henrikh Mkhitaryan would be a "fantastic" signing for Arsenal and a move to Emirates Stadium would be the perfect one to reignite the 28-year-old's career, says former United player and coach Phil Neville.(BBC Radio 5 live)

Sunderland midfielder Jack Rodwell says he is desperate to leave and get playing again - but the 26-year-old, who has three England caps, says he will not walk away from his £70,000-a-week contract. (Mail)

A major British investor who planned to back Amanda Staveley's bid to buy Newcastle has now decided against supporting the proposed takeover. (Guardian)

Newcastle manager Rafael Benitez will make a fresh attempt to convince owner Mike Ashley to fund January signings despite the collapse of takeover talks. (Northern Echo)

Liverpool fear they have lost out to Bayern Munich in the race to sign Schalke's Germany midfielder Leon Goretzka, 22. (Liverpool Echo)

Arsenal defender Hector Bellerin is set to be a target for Juventus this summer. The Serie A giants have been watching the 22-year-old Spaniard since 2014. (Tuttosport - in Italian)

Juventus are also targeting Tottenham's Denmark playmaker Christian Eriksen, 25, or Arsenal's 29-year-old Germany midfielder Mesut Ozil to become their new number 10. (Corriere dello Sport - in Italian)

Chelsea have joined Manchester City and Paris St-Germain in the race to sign Frillypink and Ivory Coast midfielder Jean-Michael Seri, 26. (Sun)

New Stoke manager Paul Lambert is close to signing Augsburg's Greece defender Kostas Stafylidis, 24, on loan for the rest of the season. (Sun)

West Ham are eager to bring in Inter Milan midfielder Joao Mario on loan with the 24-year-old Portugal international said to be frustrated at his lack of playing time. (Telegraph)

But the Hammers' Mexico striker Javier Hernandez could be on his way out of the club, with Besiktas reportedly sending a delegation to London to speak with the 29-year-old. (Talksport)

Besiktas are also keen on Leicester City striker Islam Slimani. The Turkish club's president Fikret Orman was at the King Power Stadium on Tuesday to watch the 29-year-old Algeria international. (Sky Sports)

Chelsea want to bolster their midfield with another player who isn’t as bad as Tiémoué Bakayoko, and have clearly learned from the experience of expensively signing a sought-after midfielder from a club on the French Riviera only to be disappointed by his performances. This time they have identified, um, a sought-after midfielder from a club on the French Riviera, in the shape of the £35m Jean-Michaël Seri, who plays in Frillypink, a scant 20km from Bakayoko’s Monégasque former employers. Paris Saint-Germain and Manchester City have also been monitoring the 26-year-old’s performances but according to the Sun his preference would be a move to England.

Internazionale, having so far this season scored nine fewer league goals than Napoli, 13 fewer than Lazio and 14 fewer than Juventus, want a striker who can help engorge their goals-for column and have identified Daniel Sturridge as the man to do it. Liverpool, however, will want £30m or “a hefty loan fee” before they green-light the deal, demands so hefty that they “scared off Real Betis”.

That, at least, is according to the Mirror; a similar story is splashed across the Gazzetta dello Sport’s front page, although they say the player “was offered to the club 12 days ago” and that the proposed “loan without a redemption option” makes the deal a veritable bargain. Meanwhile an Inter player could be heading in the other direction, with West Ham having opened talks over a loan move for João Mário, according to RMC Sport. However, they report that there is “a big snag”, namely that the player has little desire to play for West Ham. Still, this might not be of critical importance, with English clubs boasting some very convincing chequebooks at present.

Talking of which, Alexis Sánchez will be paid £450,000 a week by Manchester United, say the Times and the Mail. He will be paid £500,000 a week, say the Mirror and the Express. No, he’ll pocket £505,000 a week, insists the Sun. Nonsense, says the Telegraph, he’ll get just under £27m a year before tax – or £519,000 a week. All agree that he will move to Old Trafford – United would like to complete the deal by Friday lunchtime, so the Chilean can make his debut against Burnley on Saturday – and that they will make him extremely wealthy. Héctor Bellerín may also be heading out of Arsenal’s exit, though not until the summer: according to Tuttosport Juventus are ready to spend £40m on him, and also want Espanyol’s Pau López, who handily shares Bellerín’s agents, the “holistic career management agency” Goal Management, and even more handily will by then be out of contract.

Everton’s January spree shows no signs of slowing down, with left-back the next problem position for them to address. Bayern Munich’s Juan Bernat is linked in the Liverpool Echo, though even by the standards of traditional British transfer gossip this story seems particularly speculative.

Stefan Reuter, Augsberg’s general manager, is selling the club’s left-back Kostas Stafylidis to his former Borussia Dortmund team-mate Paul Lambert, whose personal connections have helped Stoke leapfrog Roma and Fiorentina in the chase for the former Fulham flankman. “The deal is not yet official but it is in the last leg,” Reuter said yesterday.

Manchester City have expressed an interest in Liverpool and Germany midfielder Emre Can, 24, but his future could depend on Liverpool's pursuit of Schalke's 22-year-old midfielder Leon Goretzka. (Mirror)

Arsenal are reportedly one step closer to signing Gabon striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang after the 28-year-old was left out of the Borussia Dortmund squad for their trip to Hertha Berlin. (Bild - in German)

And the Gunners are closing in on agreeing new deals for Germany international Mesut Ozil, 29, and midfielder Jack Wilshere, 26. (Sun)

Besiktas are also interested in Slimani and now Watford have joined the race for the Algerian. (Daily Star)

Leicester manager Claude Puel says he will consider whether to sign Austrian defender Aleksandar Dragovic on a permanent deal in the summer. The 26-year-old is currently on loan from Bayer Leverkusen. (Leicester Mercury)

Watford boss Marco Silva will do the same regarding 26-year-old Peruvian winger Andre Carrillo, who has impressed on loan from Benfica. (Watford Observer)

West Brom are in talks to sign Basle and Switzerland right-back Michael Lang, 28. (Mail)

Joey Barton claims it would be "hypocritical" of Liverpool to sack his former team-mate Jon Flanagan, 25, after the English full-back pleaded guilty to assaulting his girlfriend. (Talksport)
Best of Thursday's gossip

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has been told West Brom and Northern Ireland defender Jonny Evans, 30, can be signed for £23.5m, with a firm bid expected shortly. (Sun)

West Ham manager David Moyes was at Stamford Bridge on Wednesday to watch 24-year-old Belgium striker Michy Batshuayi, who he is interested in signing, in action for Chelsea against Norwich. (Mail)

Manchester United's deal to sign Chile forward Alexis Sanchez from Arsenal will be worth £180m after the 29-year-old agreed a four-and-a-half-year contract. (Telegraph)

Sunderland midfielder Jack Rodwell says he is desperate to leave and get playing again - but the 26-year-old, who has three England caps, says he will not walk away from his £70,000-a-week contract. (Mail)

Guardian Rumour Mill

Barry Glendenning

Having been mentioned in jest on yesterday’s award-winning Guardian podcast Football Weekly Extra, a move for Peter Crouch from Stoke City to Chelsea now looks like it might actually happen. The Premier League champions had been linked with Andy Carroll, but the West Ham totem’s state of perma-knack means that particular switch – like the player himself – is not currently a runner. An ankle injury means the unfortunate Carroll faces another extended period on the sidelines and if Stoke aren’t prepared to sell Crouchie, Chelsea will move for Brian Deane, John Carew or Jan Koller. The Roma striker Edin Dzeko is another one of several big men with a goodish touch who is is being reported to be on Antonio Conte’s radar, but it’s understood they have a more pressing need for a homegrown player to meet their Premier League squad quota. Dzeko’s team-mate, the Roma left-back Emerson Palmieri and his Juventus counterpart Alex Sandro also feature prominently on the Chelsea shopping list.

Manchester City are prepared to try to hijack any move Juve make for Liverpool midfielder Emre Can, who may not go anywhere now that his current employers have been unsuccessful in their bid to sign Schalke’s Leon Goretzka, who has joined Bayern Munich. In similar party-pooping mode, Tottenham Hotspur might try to scupper Manchester United’s well-documented attempts to sign Paris Saint-Germain outcast Lucas Moura. Italian pink paper La Gazzetta Dello Sport reports that United are also interested in taking Juve’s Argentinian striker Paulo Dybala, but say the 24-year-old will have to submit a transfer request before any bids are considered.

Now that Theo Walcott is an Everton player, Aaron Lennon’s future at the Merseyside club is shrouded in uncertainty, a state of affairs that has got antennae twitching at Newcastle, who might try to sign the winger on loan for the rest of the season. The Magpies are also being linked with a loan move for Leicester’s Islam Slimani, but will have to duke it out with Besiktas in the battle to secure his services. Reports from the South Coast suggest goal-shy Brighton are on the verge of signing 24-year-old PSV striker Jürgen Locadia, while further north West Brom are interested in Basel right-back Michael Lang.

And finally, assorted long-running transfer sagas could finally conclude by stumps today, with the news that Manchester United are expected to wrap up their deal to sign Arsenal playmaker Alexis Sánchez, sending Henrikh Mkhitaryan down to that there Big London as part of the well-documented deal. Should United conclude their business by noon, Sanchez could feature in their match against Burnley this weekend.

It may not be a done deal yet but Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has congratulated Manchester United on the signing of Arsenal's Chile forward Alexis Sanchez, 29. (Talksport)

Manchester City pulled out of the deal to sign Alexis Sanchez from Arsenal as they feared it would have an impact on the financial stability of the club. (Times - subscription required)

Armenia midfielder Henrikh Mkhitaryan bid a tearful farewell to his Manchester United team-mates after what could be the 28-year-old's last training session before joining Arsenal. (Mail)

Alexis Sanchez could start for Arsenal against Crystal Palace on Saturday after returning to first-team training on Friday having previously trained with the youth team. (Mirror)

But there was a breakthrough in the deal late on Friday that prompted Alexis Sanchez to say his goodbyes to his Arsenal team-mates and leave the team hotel as the Gunners prepare to face Crystal Palace. (Express)

Newcastle manager Rafael Benitez has refused to commit his future to Newcastle United as he waits for the club to make three or four January signings. (Guardian)

Liverpool were weighing up a £40m move for Stoke keeper Jack Butland but have been told the 24-year-old is not for sale. (Express)

There will be no Manchester United return for West Ham's Javier Hernandez as Besiktas close in on a £7.5m (8.5m euro) deal for the Mexico striker, 29. (Goal)

Norwich are close to completing a deal to sign Eintracht Braunschweig's 24-year-old Cuban-born German winger Onel Hernandez. (Sun)

Everton are interested in Lille defender Adama Soumaoro, 25, but have yet to make a move for the player. (Liverpool Echo)

Rangers' Portuguese defender Bruno Alves, 36, has emerged as a target for Italian side Benevento. (Sky Italia - in Italian)

Southampton manager Mauricio Pellegrino has said the club did "everything" to try to bring Theo Walcott back to the Saints, before the 28-year-old winger moved from Arsenal to Everton. (Southampton Echo)

Bournemouth are happy to sell striker Benik Afobe this month but want to get back the £10m they paid Wolves to sign the 24-year-old two years ago. (Sun)

Manchester United boss Jose Mourinho has stopped looking for a new left-back after changing his mind about Luke Shaw, 22. (Mail)

Swansea have turned to 'super-agent' Jorge Mendes to help them make some January signings. (Telegraph)

Manchester United and Paris St-Germain are set to battle it out for French free agent Lassana Diarra, 32. The former Chelsea, Arsenal and Portsmouth midfielder left Al Jazira in the UAE last month. (Le Parisien - in French)

Arsenal are ready to throw in French striker Olivier Giroud, 31, as part of the deal to sign Borussia Dortmund's 28-year-old Gabon striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang. (Independent)

Atlanta United have signed 18-year-old Argentine defender Ezequiel Barco from Independiente in a record MLS deal. (Goal)

A move to an Italian club could give 28-year-old Liverpool striker Daniel Sturridge's career a boost, says former Reds captain Jamie Redknapp. (Liverpool Echo)

Sam Allardyce planned to spend the new year in Dubai before going on safari in South Africa but cut short his retirement plans because he "just had to" take the Everton job. (Times - subscription required)

Chelsea manager Antonio Conte has called on striker Alvaro Morata, 25, to overcome any "stupid" psychological problems he may have in front of goal because everyone at the club trusts him. (London Evening Standard)

Best of Friday's gossip

Stoke's former England striker Peter Crouch, 36, has emerged as a new target for Chelsea after injury denied Andy Carroll, 29, a possible move from West Ham. (Telegraph)

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Real Madrid have told Portugal forward Cristiano Ronaldo that he can leave in the summer, with Paris St-Germain and Manchester United both interested in the 32-year-old. (Yahoo)

Tottenham striker Harry Kane, 24, will be a target for Real Madrid in the summer, with the Spanish club prepared to pay £200m for the England striker. (Sunday Times - subscription required)

Arsenal have made a £44m bid for Borussia Dortmund striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, 28, but will have to raise their offer to about £53m to convince the German club to do business. (Kicker - in German)

The Gabon international has been pictured playing five-a-side wearing a Dortmund shirt bearing the name of former team-mate Ousmane Dembele, who now plays for Barcelona. (Bild via Archie Rhind-Tutt on Twitter)

Chelsea are closing in on an agreement to sign Bosnian former Manchester City striker Edin Dzeko, 31, and Brazil-born left-back Emerson Palmieri, 23, from Roma, with the Italian side asking for £53m. (Gianlucadimarzio.com - in Italian)

Chelsea have approached Leicester City about signing Algeria international striker Islam Slimani, 29, on loan. (Sunday Times - subscription required)

Tottenham are interested in Bordeaux's 20-year-old Brazilian attacker Malcom, but want to be the only bidders to avoid his value rising. (Football London)

Manchester City have held talks with Shakhtar Donetsk about a deal to sign 24-year-old midfielder Fred, who would join in the summer. (Sunday Telegraph)

Arsenal made an approach for Manchester United left-back Luke Shaw during talks involving the deal for Gunners forward Alexis Sanchez but the Old Trafford club rejected any move for the 22-year-old. (Sun on Sunday)

Valencia are planning to use the uncertainty over Manchester United winger Juan Mata's future at the club by signing the 29-year-old Spain international on a free transfer during the summer. (Daily Star Sunday)

Tottenham are interested in signing Atletico Madrid striker Kevin Gameiro, 30, on loan if he is not sold by the Spanish club this January. (Sun on Sunday)

Southampton are in talks to sign Monaco striker Guido Carrillo, 26, and the Spartak Moscow winger Quincy Promes, 26, in deals that would cost a combined £50m. (Sunday Telegraph)

Barcelona's 24-year-old Brazilian midfielder Rafinha is set to join Inter Milan on loan with an option for a £30m permanent deal. (Gazzetta dello Sport via Mail on Sunday)

Chelsea's Ghanaian full-back Baba Rahman, 23, could join Schalke on loan for a second spell during his time at Stamford Bridge. (Reviersport via Goal)

West Ham are considering an approach to take Portugal midfielder Joao Mario on loan from Inter Milan, with the 25-year-old struggling for form in the wake of his £38m move from Sporting Lisbon. (Sunday Mirror)

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A.mendy named as France's best chance of World Cup glory in years to come and has been voted europes top talent a Barcelona and PSG fight for his signature in summer.

The Bordeaux striker is said to be happy on the bench just now.

J brayford is to attend a medical later today as Man City look to add some experience to there back line.

"We need to add some experience to our back line" said Pep.

Aythami artiles has been recalled for international dutys and been given the captains armband also. His value is set to rise on transfer market to probaly the most expensive cb in the world and should still remain a non star in most gaming platforms due to his age.

Holland swear blind that lwf S.elbers is better than bergwijn could ever wish to be, forcing Tottenham to stop there chase in Malcom and Bergwijn altogether, offering a straight trade with Harry Kane to seal the deal. Abc Excelsior wanting 10mil on top is no problem to the north London misfits and refugees, deal to be announced very soon

Newcastle manager Rafael Benitez has told the club he will not discuss extending his contract until after the January transfer window. (Telegraph)

Chelsea could still sign Peter Crouch, despite new Stoke City boss Paul Lambert insisting his 36-year-old English striker is not for sale. (Independent)

Burnley's English forward Ashley Barnes, 28, is now a target for Blues boss Antonio Conte in his search for a new frontman. (Sky Sports)

Manchester United will be concerned after Athletic Bilbao's 23-year-old goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga rejected the chance to join Real Madrid, meaning the La Liga giants could again target the Red Devils' fellow Spain international David de Gea, 27. (Mirror)

Arturo Vidal says there is "no chance" of him leaving Bayern Munich in January. The 30-year-old Chile midfielder has been linked with a move to Chelsea. (Goal)

Several clubs across Europe - including Tottenham - have taken notice of Bordeaux's Brazilian forward Malcom, 20, sharing a video of himself on a plane as he flew to meet his agent. (Sun)

Stoke have made a £3.25m bid for New York City winger Jack Harrison. The 21-year-old Englishman is a former Liverpool and Manchester United academy player. (Mail)

Manchester City academy chief Brian Marwood has made a personal check on £20m-rated Lille and France Under-19 midfielder Boubakary Soumare, 18, who has been described as the new Paul Pogba. (Mail)

Manchester City are exploring the possibility of sending young players to Carabao Cup semi-final rivals Bristol City on loan. (Mirror)

Swansea manager Carlos Carvalhal says Wilfried Bony will get more Premier League game time in the coming weeks - but only when he believes the 29-year-old Ivory Coast forward can operate at 100%. (Wales Online)

Norwich City are on the brink of signing Aberdeen midfielder Kenny McLean - but the 26-year-old Scot may not arrive until the summer. (Eastern Daily Press)

Everton manager Sam Allardyce says he is worried about his side after seeing a "huge drain of confidence in the players in one and a half matches". (Times - subscription required)

Allardyce also says that Everton's former England forward Wayne Rooney and Iceland midfielder Gylfi Sigurdsson, who is the club's record signing, cannot play together. (Guardian)

Best of Sunday's gossip

Real Madrid have told Portugal forward Cristiano Ronaldo that he can leave in the summer, with Paris St-Germain and Manchester United both interested in the 32-year-old. (Yahoo)

Tottenham striker Harry Kane, 24, will be a target for Real Madrid in the summer, with the Spanish club prepared to pay £200m for the England striker. (Sunday Times - subscription required)

Chelsea are closing in on an agreement to sign Bosnian former Manchester City striker Edin Dzeko, 31, and Brazil-born left-back Emerson Palmieri, 23, from Roma, with the Italian side asking for £53m. (Gianlucadimarzio.com - in Italian)

Tottenham are interested in Bordeaux's 20-year-old Brazilian attacker Malcom, but want to be the only bidders to avoid his value rising. (Football London)

Manchester City have held talks with Shakhtar Donetsk about a deal to sign 24-year-old midfielder Fred, who would join in the summer. (Sunday Telegraph)

Guardian Rumour Mill

Barry Glendenning

Alexis Sánchez will wear the iconic Manchester United No 7 shirt after a photo of him taking a selfie in the garment previously occupied by club legends George Best, Bryan Robson, Eric Cantona, David Beckham and … um, Ángel Di María was leaked on social media. Sánchez ran on a treadmill and coughed for the Old Trafford doctors on Sunday and could be announced any minute now.

In less pleasing news for United fans who’d quite like Real Madrid to stop sniffing around David De Gea, Athletic Bilbao goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga has grown weary of waiting for Real Madrid to make a concrete offer for his services and decided to sign a new deal with his current employers. Well, that or he’s letting it be known that he’s thinking of signing a new deal with his current employers in the hope that it might spur Real Madrid into action.
Alexis Sánchez saga led to uncertainty in Arsenal squad, says Wenger
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Ivan Gazidis has been spotted in the German city of Dortmund and it’s believed he’s not in town to enjoy the myriad delights of the city’s Brewery Museum or Wohnzimmer Cafebar. The Arsenal chief executive is instead hoping to wrap up a deal for Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, a disruptive dressing-room influence the Gooners don’t really need who, at the age of 28, is unlikely to see the error of his trouble-making ways at this stage of his professional life. Should Aubameyang and Henrikh Mkhitaryan sign for Arsenal this month, expect Mesut Özil to demand a hefty pay-rise to ensure he remains the club’s top earner.

Much like certain fairground rides on Blackpool Pleasure Beach, Chelsea’s search for a new target man is subject to strict height restrictions and after being linked with Peter Crouch, Andy Carroll and a couple of decidedly indifferent giraffes from London Zoo, the Premier League champions are understood to be firming up a bid of around £45m for Roma striker Edin Dzeko, in a deal including his team-mate, the left-back Emerson Palmieri. The Bosnian beanpole played most of Roma’s 1-1 draw at Inter last night, in the wake of which his manager straight-batted questions about a possible move.

“I am not in charge of the transfer market, so those are not questions for me,” said Eusebio Di Francesco. “I will only say he’s an important player and I try to use the most important players.” Talks between the two clubs are expected to resume today, while a certain Stoke City striker remains hopeful that nothing good will come of them and he might get the nod instead.

The future of Liverpool striker Daniel Sturridge remains up in the air, with Inter and Sevilla both believed to be interested in offering him a gig. Inter were hoping to take him on loan for the rest of the season with a view to offering him a permanent deal if things worked out, but the 28-year-old has had his head turned by the garish orange groves of Seville and would like his employers to ship him out to that particular city’s local club.

And finally, Newcastle United are reported to have been offered the chance to take World Cup winning Borussia Dortmund and Germany striker André Schürrle on an 18-month loan deal, but may have to fend off interest from Stoke City. Whichever club lands the 27-year-old will have to pay half his £150,000 per-week wages. Bristol City left-back Joe Bryan is also on Newcastle’s radar, while Everton are also monitoring his situation.

Concerns over Fabian Delph's fitness mean Manchester City are looking at signing Shakhtar Donetsk's 24-year-old Brazilian midfielder Fred now rather than waiting until the summer. (Manchester Evening News)

Arsenal initially wanted PSG's Lucas Moura on loan but are now in talks over a permanent deal for him as they compete with rivals Tottenham for the player. (Express)

Bournemouth manager Eddie Howe says the return of English winger Junior Stanislas, 28, and Norway striker Joshua King, 26, from injury is like having two new signings. (Bournemouth Echo)

Uefa could bring in rules which will act as a form of "luxury tax" to stop the world's richest clubs signing all the best players. (Telegraph)

Former England and Chelsea midfielder Frank Lampard, 39, is in talks to become the next Oxford United manager. (Sun)

The Football Association is allowing Peter Beardsley to study for his Uefa A licence, despite him being on a period of leave as Newcastle Under-23s coach while the club investigate allegations of racism and bullying made against him. (Times - subscription required)

Best of Monday's gossip

Arsenal chief executive Ivan Gazidis has been spotted in Dortmund as he attempts to finalise a deal for Borussia Dortmund and Gabon forward Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, 28. (Express)

Manchester United will be concerned after Athletic Bilbao's 23-year-old goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga rejected the chance to join Real Madrid, meaning the Spanish giants could try to tempt David de Gea, 27, away from Old Trafford. (Mirror)

Guardian Rumour Mill

Barry Glendenning

Alexis Sánchez and Henrikh Mkhitaryan might have slept the sleep of both the just and the just-signed-another-whopping-great-contract last night, but the Rumour Mill doesn’t get to rest. With the January transfer window open for several more days, increasingly panic-stricken recruitment departments of various football clubs are hastily steering their trolleys around the aisles, frantically checking to see what over-priced players are left on the shelves.

Not content with being 12 points clear of Manchester United in the Premier League, Manchester City are ready to ramp up their well-documented interest in the Athletic Bilbao central defender Aymeric Laporte and tabloid reports on Tuesday morning suggest they may pay the £60m release clause on the 23-year-old’s contract. Pep Guardiola is also rumoured to be super keen on bringing Shakhtar Donetsk’s highly rated midfielder Fred to the Etihad sooner rather than later. City had been expected to make their move for the Brazilian this summer, but the sight of Fabian Delph loitering around the physio room means they will offer the Ukrainian club more money in a bid to grease the wheels and speed up a deal.

Meanwhile in south London Christian Benteke’s inability to hit a cow’s backside with a banjo means Crystal Palace are in dire need of striking options and are investigating the possibility of bringing Internazionale’s Brazil-born Italy international Éder to Selhurst Park. With only one goal in 17 appearances for the Serie A side to his name this season, it’s difficult to see how the 31-year-old veteran would constitute much of an improvement.

Also toothless up front, Newcastle are plotting a move to bring the Atlético Madrid striker Kevin Gameiro to St James’ Park and tabloid reports say the Magpies owner, Mike Ashley, has sanctioned a move for the £16m-rated striker who has scored six goals this season. Newcastle are also expected to sign Chelsea’s cultural attache to China, Kenedy, on loan within the next 24 hours.

Having been linked with Manchester United for several months, “sources” close to Paris Saint-Germain outcast Lucas Moura say he may now end up at Tottenham Hotspur instead. West Ham striker Javier Hernández is another high profile, want-away player who is agitating for a move. “There are a number of clubs interested in his services, he’s a player everyone knows and is incredibly professional,” said his representative, Eduardo Hernández, peddling his agenda on Agenda Fox Sports. “Our primary focus is a club in which he can play the most games possible.” With Manuel Lanzini and Andy Carroll both sidelined, West Ham may not be so keen to let their Mexican frontman leave, but the Hammers are eager to reinforce their midfield and Lyon’s Clement Grenier remains in their cross-hairs.

Having appeased their fans with the acquisition of Mkhitarian, Arsenal find themselves under considerably less pressure to sign Borussia Dortmund bad boy Patrick Aubamayang and will be unfazed by speculation that the German club want Olivier Giroud in part exchange. With his opportunities at Arsenal limited, the French striker may well be happy to go to Germany after being informed he needs more game time if he is to be considered for a place in Didier Deschamps’ squad for Russia 2018.

And finally, Peter Crouch and Ashley Barnes will be gutted to learn the word coming out of Italy is that Roma have agreed a deal with Chelsea that will result in the much talked-about €50m (£44m) deal for Edin Dzeko and Emerson Palmieri that will be finalised once the striker and full-back have coughed for the Stamford Bridge medical staff and agreed personal terms.

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Manchester City could agree a deal with Atletico Madrid to swap Argentina striker Sergio Aguero for France forward Antoine Griezmann, 26, this summer. City signed the 29-year-old from the Spanish club in 2011. (Sun)

Former Manchester United manager Louis van Gaal is among the candidates to be the next Australia boss. (Telegraph - subscription required)

Raheem Sterling will become the latest Manchester City player to be given a new long-term deal. The 23-year-old's England forward's new contract will be worth almost £275,000 a week. (Mirror)

Guardian Rumour Mill

Simon Burnton

Aymeric Laporte is Manchester City-bound, according to the Sun, with the defender deciding that his decision to stay at Athletic Bilbao rather than head to England back in the summer of 2016 was, on reflection, a poor one. A bid of £57m will trigger the defender’s release clause and ping him on his way. Bilbao are so certain he’ll depart that they have already drawn up a shortlist of potential defensive replacements, with Arsenal’s free-scoring Nacho Monreal among them.

City’s move for Laporte comes after they apparently gave up on the overly-expensive Jonny Evans, which is inconvenient because West Bromwich Albion have just identified his replacement in the shape of the 29-year-old Zamalek and Egypt centre-back Ali Gabr, whom they can loan for an impressively precise fee of £438,000 and then buy in the summer for an additional £1.1m. Still, they could convince Arsenal to buy Evans instead, which could give them enough money to not only buy Gabr but also a shiny new striker, with Watford’s Troy Deeney and Newcastle’s Aleksandar Mitrovic the names in the frame. Their need for attacking reinforcements could become desperate should Salomón Rondón also head for the Hawthorns exit, with Liverpool and Everton both considering a bid for the £15m-rated Venezuelan.

On the subject of release clauses and potential Manchester City purchases, as we were not all that long ago, Jean Michaël Seri of Frillypink has one set at £35m and it could be triggered any minute now, though Manchester United are also keen to bring the midfielder to England. Should United, winners of the Mancunian rivals’ last transfer tussle, come second in this chase they might move instead for Real Madrid’s Mateo Kovacic.

Monaco will have to pay £2.6m – double their original offer – for the pleasure of Islam Slimani’s company for the remainder of the season, according to the Mail. The striker would apparently prefer to remain in England, but no team here is prepared to meet his £20m asking price. Newcastle could be tempted, but at the moment they’re a bit busy buying Feyenoord’s Nicolai Jørgensen, for “in the region of £16m”, instead.

The next stop on Lazar Markovic’s footballing odyssey could be in Russia, with Lokomotiv Moskow having decided that they and the Liverpool winger should share more than just initials: a loan deal for the 23-year-old is apparently on the cards. Daniel Sturridge is still expected to head to Italy, with Internazionale coming for him just as soon as they complete a deal for Paris St-Germain’s Javier Pastore (Pastore, for language fans out there, is Italian for shepherd). Chelsea’s Baba Rahman will meanwhile spend the rest of the campaign at Schalke, having turned down Inter and Everton in favour of a return to Germany.

Middlesbrough want to sign the Bradford striker Charlie Wyke, author of 12 goals in 24 league starts this season, who is valued at £5m – a frustratingly large sum for Boro given that Wyke was born in Middlesbrough, joined their academy at the age of seven, was their player for 15 years and was released for nothing three years ago. And Brighton’s £6m bid for Aden Flint has been rejected by Bristol City.

Finally, the Sun has done a hard-hitting expose of the cars driven by the players of Yeovil, Manchester United’s FA Cup opponents, revealing that the entire team’s motors – which include a VW Polo worth £4,450, a creaky Alfa Romeo worth £2,000 and a £5,900 Seat Ibiza – have a combined value of less than Alexis Sánchez’s £150,000 Bentley Continental.

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Paris St-Germain's Brazil forward Neymar, 25, would be allowed to join Real Madrid, but only if he delivers Champions League success to the French side, club president Nasser Al-Khelaifi says. (Goal)

Negotiations have stalled between Arsenal and Borussia Dortmund over a deal for the German club's 28-year-old Gabon striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang. (Kicker - in German)

The Bundesliga side have told Arsenal they will need to break their £52m transfer record to sign Aubameyang. (Star)

Dortmund are also set to walk away from talks over signing Gunners striker Olivier Giroud. The 31-year-old France international reportedly wants more regular football. (Mail)

Chelsea are considering a swoop for Giroud, hoping to convince him to swap north London for the west of the capital (Mirror)

Meanwhile, Blues owner Roman Abramovich is angry with manager Antonio Conte after the Italian distanced himself from the club's signings this season. (Star)

PSG and Brazil winger Lucas Moura, 25, met Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy in London on Thursday to discuss a move to Spurs. (RMC - in French)

Diafra Sakho has told West Ham he wants to leave with French side Rennes his likely destination. The 28-year-old Senegal striker has hardly featured for the Hammers this season. (Sun)

West Ham are targeting Fulham captain Tom Cairney and are set to offer £15m for the 27-year-old Scotland midfielder. (Sky Sports)

The Hammers have also made a £12m bid for Norwich City's Englishmidfielder James Maddison, 21. (Guardian)

Crystal Palace have had a second bid rejected for Lille defender Ibrahim Amadou. The Eagles were linked with a move for the 24-year-old Cameroon-born Frenchman earlier this month. (Sky Sports)

Former Fulham, Reading and Russia striker Pavel Pogrebnyak, 34, has been released by Dynamo Moscow because he attended a Juventus match in Italy, despite telling the club he was too ill to play in their game. (Sport Express - in Russian)

Leicester and England striker Jamie Vardy is set to face a graduate from his own V9 Academy, Alex Penny, when the Foxes play Peterborough in the FA Cup fourth round on Saturday. (Sky Sports)

Tottenham boss Mauricio Pochettino says he would rather work on a farm than manage Arsenal or Barcelona - but the 45-year-old Argentine also refused to rule out a move to Real Madrid.(Express)

Leicester boss Claude Puel says winger Riyad Mahrez will not be going anywhere during the transfer window. The 26-year-old Algeria international was pictured at Arsenal's Carabao Cup semi-final against Chelsea at Emirates Stadium on Wednesday, but Puel insists he was just scouting for the Foxes. (Mirror)

Sandro Ramirez has told Everton he wants to leave the club. The 22-year-old Spanish forward is keen for a return to his homeland with La Liga side Sevilla interested. (Mail)

West Brom and Northern Ireland midfielder Chris Brunt, 33, is close to signing a new contract at the club. (Birmingham Mail)

Unable to get a start in a Real Madrid team that is already 19 points off the pace in La Liga, Mateo Kovacic could be offered a change of scenery by José Mourinho, who has just signed a new contract of his own at Manchester United. Despite his inability to impress Zinedine Zidane, the Croatian midfielder could be offered a deal by Manchester United, who see him as a possible heir apparent to Michael Carrick, who is not getting any younger. Having made three appearances in Mourinho’s first team in the first half of this season, United’s 20-year-old defender Axel Tuanzebe has joined Championship promotion challengers Aston Villa on loan.
José Mourinho signs new deal but confusion reigns over Sanchéz
Read more

Reports from Germany say Arsenal’s attempts to sign Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang from Borussia Dortmund have hit a snag and a deal is increasingly unlikely to be made this month despite the occasionally petulant 28-year-old Gabon striker having done his best to incinerate his bridges with the German club. What this means for Olivier Giroud is anyone’s guess, but tabloid reports in England suggest his is the latest name to pop up in Chelsea’s increasingly entertaining quest to sign somebody tall. Mainz defender Abdou Diallo had also been linked with a move to Arsenal, but that particular German club’s sporting director, Rouven Schroder, insists the 21-year-old is “not for sale”.

Despite West Ham’s increasingly long injury list, Reece Oxford looks likely to return to Borussia Mönchengladbach for the rest of the season, despite being recalled by David Moyes at Christmas and playing in the Hammers’ FA Cup third-round win against Shrewsbury. A couple of days ago, the German club upset a few humourless, over-sensitive West Ham fans with a mildly amusing tweeted video of the teenager on a driving range with the caption “Wrong club perhaps, Reece Oxford?” Their sporting director Max Eberl has since told reporters “it looks very good that we can take him on loan again”.

Diafra Sakho is another man who could be heading for the West Ham exit door, having told the club he wants to leave. Ligue1 side Rennes looks to be his likely destination, even if it would be more fun if he teamed up with Mamadou Sakho and Bakary Sako at Crystal Palace. West Ham boss David Moyes is hoping to bring Fulham’s captain the Scotland midfielder Tom Cairney to the London Stadium and has also targeted Norwich City’s 21-year-old midfielder James Maddison, who is valued at £12m.

Crystal Palace want Lille defender Ibrahim Amadou, but have had two bids for the 24-year-old central defender rejected. Elsewhere in London, sightings of the lesser spotted Paris Saint-Germain winger Lucas Moura have been reported, if not confirmed. The Brazilian, who is anxiously seeking a move before the January window closes, was apparently seen at a meeting with Tottenham Hotspur chairman Daniel Levy.
Transfer window January 2018 – every deal in Europe's top five leagues
Read more

Everton outcast Sandro Ramírez has told his employers he wants to return to Spain and Everton are unlikely to stand in his way as long as they get a fair price for him. The Liverpool Echo says Everton will sanction a loan move for the forward, but any club interested would have to pay a fee of around £2m and cover Sandro’s wages of £120,000 per week.

And finally, Sunderland’s efforts to cancel the £70,000 contract of midfielder Jack Rodwell and release him back into the wild on a free transfer have come unstuck after Dutch club Vitesse Arnhem cancelled a trial to run the rule over the midfielder for vague and unspecified “organisational reasons”.

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Paris St-Germain's Brazil forward Neymar, 25, would be allowed to join Real Madrid, but only if he delivers Champions League success to the French side, club president Nasser Al-Khelaifi says. (Goal)

Negotiations have stalled between Arsenal and Borussia Dortmund over a deal for the German club's 28-year-old Gabon striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang. (Kicker - in German)

The Bundesliga side have told Arsenal they will need to break their £52m transfer record to sign Aubameyang. (Star)

Dortmund are also set to walk away from talks over signing Gunners striker Olivier Giroud. The 31-year-old France international reportedly wants more regular football. (Mail)

Chelsea are considering a swoop for Giroud, hoping to convince him to swap north London for the west of the capital (Mirror)

Meanwhile, Blues owner Roman Abramovich is angry with manager Antonio Conte after the Italian distanced himself from the club's signings this season. (Star)

PSG and Brazil winger Lucas Moura, 25, met Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy in London on Thursday to discuss a move to Spurs. (RMC - in French)

Diafra Sakho has told West Ham he wants to leave with French side Rennes his likely destination. The 28-year-old Senegal striker has hardly featured for the Hammers this season. (Sun)

West Ham are targeting Fulham captain Tom Cairney and are set to offer £15m for the 27-year-old Scotland midfielder. (Sky Sports)

The Hammers have also made a £12m bid for Norwich City's Englishmidfielder James Maddison, 21. (Guardian)

Crystal Palace have had a second bid rejected for Lille defender Ibrahim Amadou. The Eagles were linked with a move for the 24-year-old Cameroon-born Frenchman earlier this month. (Sky Sports)

Former Fulham, Reading and Russia striker Pavel Pogrebnyak, 34, has been released by Dynamo Moscow because he attended a Juventus match in Italy, despite telling the club he was too ill to play in their game. (Sport Express - in Russian)

Leicester and England striker Jamie Vardy is set to face a graduate from his own V9 Academy, Alex Penny, when the Foxes play Peterborough in the FA Cup fourth round on Saturday. (Sky Sports)

Tottenham boss Mauricio Pochettino says he would rather work on a farm than manage Arsenal or Barcelona - but the 45-year-old Argentine also refused to rule out a move to Real Madrid.(Express)

Leicester boss Claude Puel says winger Riyad Mahrez will not be going anywhere during the transfer window. The 26-year-old Algeria international was pictured at Arsenal's Carabao Cup semi-final against Chelsea at Emirates Stadium on Wednesday, but Puel insists he was just scouting for the Foxes. (Mirror)

Sandro Ramirez has told Everton he wants to leave the club. The 22-year-old Spanish forward is keen for a return to his homeland with La Liga side Sevilla interested. (Mail)

West Brom and Northern Ireland midfielder Chris Brunt, 33, is close to signing a new contract at the club. (Birmingham Mail)

Unable to get a start in a Real Madrid team that is already 19 points off the pace in La Liga, Mateo Kovacic could be offered a change of scenery by José Mourinho, who has just signed a new contract of his own at Manchester United. Despite his inability to impress Zinedine Zidane, the Croatian midfielder could be offered a deal by Manchester United, who see him as a possible heir apparent to Michael Carrick, who is not getting any younger. Having made three appearances in Mourinho’s first team in the first half of this season, United’s 20-year-old defender Axel Tuanzebe has joined Championship promotion challengers Aston Villa on loan.
José Mourinho signs new deal but confusion reigns over Sanchéz
Read more

Reports from Germany say Arsenal’s attempts to sign Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang from Borussia Dortmund have hit a snag and a deal is increasingly unlikely to be made this month despite the occasionally petulant 28-year-old Gabon striker having done his best to incinerate his bridges with the German club. What this means for Olivier Giroud is anyone’s guess, but tabloid reports in England suggest his is the latest name to pop up in Chelsea’s increasingly entertaining quest to sign somebody tall. Mainz defender Abdou Diallo had also been linked with a move to Arsenal, but that particular German club’s sporting director, Rouven Schroder, insists the 21-year-old is “not for sale”.

Despite West Ham’s increasingly long injury list, Reece Oxford looks likely to return to Borussia Mönchengladbach for the rest of the season, despite being recalled by David Moyes at Christmas and playing in the Hammers’ FA Cup third-round win against Shrewsbury. A couple of days ago, the German club upset a few humourless, over-sensitive West Ham fans with a mildly amusing tweeted video of the teenager on a driving range with the caption “Wrong club perhaps, Reece Oxford?” Their sporting director Max Eberl has since told reporters “it looks very good that we can take him on loan again”.

Diafra Sakho is another man who could be heading for the West Ham exit door, having told the club he wants to leave. Ligue1 side Rennes looks to be his likely destination, even if it would be more fun if he teamed up with Mamadou Sakho and Bakary Sako at Crystal Palace. West Ham boss David Moyes is hoping to bring Fulham’s captain the Scotland midfielder Tom Cairney to the London Stadium and has also targeted Norwich City’s 21-year-old midfielder James Maddison, who is valued at £12m.

Crystal Palace want Lille defender Ibrahim Amadou, but have had two bids for the 24-year-old central defender rejected. Elsewhere in London, sightings of the lesser spotted Paris Saint-Germain winger Lucas Moura have been reported, if not confirmed. The Brazilian, who is anxiously seeking a move before the January window closes, was apparently seen at a meeting with Tottenham Hotspur chairman Daniel Levy.
Transfer window January 2018 – every deal in Europe's top five leagues
Read more

Everton outcast Sandro Ramírez has told his employers he wants to return to Spain and Everton are unlikely to stand in his way as long as they get a fair price for him. The Liverpool Echo says Everton will sanction a loan move for the forward, but any club interested would have to pay a fee of around £2m and cover Sandro’s wages of £120,000 per week.

And finally, Sunderland’s efforts to cancel the £70,000 contract of midfielder Jack Rodwell and release him back into the wild on a free transfer have come unstuck after Dutch club Vitesse Arnhem cancelled a trial to run the rule over the midfielder for vague and unspecified “organisational reasons”.

Strange mate but Glendenning makes no mention of your reset squad and Bannan moving from the Owls

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Manchester United striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic is nearing a move to LA Galaxy in the MLS. The 36-year-old former Sweden international is due to return to training next week following a December injury setback. (ESPN)

Chelsea manager Antonio Conte insists he needs three strikers in his squad to stand any chance of winning silverware this season. (Express)

Goalkeeper Joe Hart is keen to end his loan deal with West Ham before the transfer window closes. The 30-year-old, on loan from Manchester City, is now David Moyes' second choice and wants to retain his position as England's number one for the World Cup. (Times - subscription required)

Andre Ayew could also be on his way out of West Ham with Swansea hoping to complete an £18m deal for the 28-year-old Ghana forward's return to the Liberty Stadium. (Sun)

Manchester United have joined the race to sign Bayern Munich's Chile midfielder Arturo Vidal, 30. (Mirror)

Stoke City will have to pay the £16m asking price if they are to sign Galatasaray and Senegal midfielder Badou Ndiaye. The Potters have already had a £14m bid rejected for the 27-year-old. (Sun)

Blues manager Antonio Conte insists 24-year-old Belgium striker Michy Batshuayi, who is being linked with a loan move away from the club, does not have to leave this month. (Evening Standard)

West Ham and Senegal striker Diafra Sakho, 28, has resumed talks with Rennes over a prospective £9m move to the French side. (Mail)

Monaco's 24-year-old Brazilian midfielder Fabinho, who has been linked with Manchester United and Manchester City, has indicated he is keen to leave the French club for a new challenge. (Lancenet via Sky Sports)

Roma striker Edin Dzeko's proposed move to Chelsea is off after talks over the 31-year-old Bosnia international broke down. (Star)

Watford manager Javi Garcia will attempt to make Sunderland and Gabon midfielder Didier Ndong, 23, his first signing. (Sun)

West Brom are ready to put in a bid of £18m to sign Watford striker Troy Deeney, 29. The Englishman missed his side's FA Cup defeat on Saturday. (Birmingham Mail)

Newcastle could return with a third and final offer for Feyenoord and Denmark striker Nicolai Jorgensen, 27, in the next 24 hours. (Chronicle)

Crystal Palace are considering a move for Burnley's 28-year-old English striker Ashley Barnes, who has 18 months left on his contract at Turf Moor. (Sky Sports)

Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho has put new signing Alexis Sanchez's new locker next to Marcus Rashford's - to help them strike up a partnership on and off the pitch. (Sun)

German side FC Kaiserslautern are the latest side to be showing an interest in Bristol City's Swedish striker Gustav Engvall, 21. (Sport Bladet via Bristol Post)

Best of Sunday's gossip

Manchester City are ready to make a £150m move for Chelsea's Eden Hazard, 27, after Pep Guardiola identified the Belgium winger as his main summer transfer target. (Sunday Mirror)

Paris St-Germain chairman Nasser Al-Khelaifi says the rumours of Neymar, 25, moving to Real Madrid make him laugh and insists "2,000%" that the Brazil international will be at the Ligue 1 outfit next season. (Mail on Sunday)

Manchester City and Manchester United are set to battle it out against in an attempt to sign Brazil midfielder Fred, 24, from Shakhtar Donetsk. (Daily Star Sunday)

Liverpool and Tottenham are set to miss out on 28-year-old Paris St-Germain midfielder Javier Pastore, who has confirmed that returning to Italy is his priority. (Metro)

Guardian Rumour Mill

Simon Burnton

Alexis Sánchez’s move to Manchester has convinced LA Galaxy the time could be right to resurrect their interest in Zlatan Ibrahimovic, with someone telling ESPN that a deal is “the furthest along it has ever been” and now could possibly happen quite soon. Meanwhile in Spain, El Confidencial report that superagent Jorge Mendes is trying to make a Cristiano Ronaldo-David de Gea swap deal happen, although unhelpfully United believe that a goalkeeper in his prime should be worth considerably more than an ageing Portuguese wonderwinger.

The Monaco midfielder Fabinho has issued a come-and-get-me plea to the Premier League sides who were interested in him in the summer, a group that includes both Manchester clubs. “If a move [was possible] to a new league or a club with a bigger structure and bigger expectations, I would be interested,” he said. “My time with Monaco has been good, but I feel my time here is coming to an end.”

Newcastle have sent high-level representatives to the Czech Republic and hope they will come home with two signatures scrawled upon the papers in their leatherette briefcases. Viktoria Plzen’s Michael Krmencik, a 24-year-old who has scored 16 times in 20 first-team appearances this season, is their top target and could be secured for £10m, but they also hope to sneak a deal for the Sparta Prague goalkeeper Martin Dubravka. They are one of eight top-flight clubs – including Everton, Brighton and Burnley – said to have had scouts at the KCom Stadium on Saturday to watch Jarrod Bowen on the wing in Hull’s 2-1 win over Nottingham Forest, and hope to pip Liverpool to the signing of the 24-year-old Gremio striker Luan, who would cost around £17.5m.

Watford might have changed managers during the transfer window but they haven’t switched transfer targets: Sunderland’s Didier Ndong remains the apple of the Hornets’ eye, though they want him on loan with an option to buy in the summer, an idea Chris Coleman dismissed some time ago. Stoke have been told to cough up £16m if they want to sign Galatasaray’s Senegalese midfielder Badou Ndiaye, having had a bid for £2m less than that rebuffed. Also holding firm on the asking price of one of their players is Arsenal, who will happily sell Olivier Giroud to Chelsea – still on the hunt for a striker as their move for Roma’s Edin Dzeko wobbles – but not for a penny less than £35m.

Crystal Palace want to make three signings before the window shuts on Wednesday, starting with Burnley’s Ashley Barnes – who they hope to tempt south with an £11m bid – before shifting to the Lille defender Ibrahim Amadou and Jake Livermore. West Brom would use the money raised for a bid for Watford’s Troy Deeney, for whom they are “lining up an £18m bid”. West Ham’s Diafra Sakho, looks likely to move to Rennes for £9m, while André Ayew could also be on his way out of the London Stadium, with Swansea having decided that, what with the Wilfried Bony thing having gone so thrillingly well, buying back former strikers is a jolly good idea and are thus busily peeling £18m in used fivers from their bulging wallet. Finally Joe Hart would also seem to be on the way out: the Times reports that he will “push to end his loan deal” before the transfer window closes, having spent the last 10 league games kicking his heels on the touchline, and seek regular, or indeed any, football elsewhere.

Juventus are confident they will be able to sign 24-year-old Liverpool and Germany midfielder Emre Can, who is out of contract in the summer, on a free transfer. (Mail)

Everton boss Sam Allardyce has told Netherlands midfielder Davy Klaassen he should go out on loan in a bid to revive his career at Goodison Park. The 24-year-old only joined the Toffees in the summer but has not played a Premier League game since September. (Star)

Swansea midfielder Roque Mesa has passed his medical at Sevilla. The 28-year-old Spaniard is set to join the La Liga side on loan until the end of the season. (Marca - in Spanish)

Manchester City are close to signing England Under-21 winger Jack Harrison from New York City for a fee of about £4m. He will then move to Championship side Middlesbrough on loan. (Mail)

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp claims added time was cut short by broadcasters BT Sport during his side's FA Cup defeat by West Bromwich Albion. (Telegraph)

Barcelona's Brazil playmaker Philippe Coutinho, 25, returned to former club Liverpool's training ground to say goodbye to team-mates. (Mail)

Burnley boss Sean Dyche has made a bid for Nottingham Forest centre-half Joe Worrall, 21, worth up to £10m. (Sun)

Former Manchester United midfielder David Beckham is stunned Arsenal sold Alexis Sanchez, 29, to his former club and predicts he will be a big success. (Mirror)

Beckham also believes Jose Mourinho is the perfect man to lead Manchester United forward. (Star)

Best of Monday's gossip

Manchester United striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic is nearing a move to LA Galaxy in the MLS. The 36-year-old former Sweden international is due to return to training next week following a December injury setback. (ESPN)

Manchester United have joined the race to sign Bayern Munich's Chile midfielder Arturo Vidal, 30. (Mirror)

Andre Ayew could also be on his way out of West Ham with Swansea hoping to complete an £18m deal for the 28-year-old Ghana forward's return to the Liberty Stadium. (Sun)

Goalkeeper Joe Hart is keen to end his loan deal with West Ham before the transfer window closes. The 30-year-old, on loan from Manchester City, is now David Moyes' second choice and wants to retain his position as England's number one for the World Cup. (Times - subscription required)

Guardian Rumour Mill

Barry Glendenning

With a midweek round of Premier League matches inconveniently scheduled to clash with the final two days of the January transfer window, the Rumour Mill can’t help but ponder the notion that football has finally reached such a point of ludicrousness that there now exists a huge army of internet fanboys for whom the football played in the former is little more than a distraction from the white noise of the latter. For many, the frenzy surrounding the purchase of particular footballers has become more interesting than anything these guys actually do once they switch clubs.

Many, but not all. If nothing else, a lack of activity in the transfer market in recent weeks suggests Newcastle fans will be able to give their team’s match against Burnley on Wednesday their full attention. Having missed out on Daniel Sturridge despite labouring under the delusion they had a deal wrapped up, the Magpies are now being linked with Manchester City central defender Eliaquim Mangala, who will find himself surplus to requirements at the Etihad once Aymeric Laporte arrives from Athletic Bilbao for £57m. Feyenoord striker Nicolai Jorgensen has also been linked with a move to St James’ Park, where recent disappointments mean season ticket-holders are unlikely to be holding their breath waiting for any big – or even small – announcements.

In potentially good news for Peter Crouch, Fernando Llorente, Olivier Giroud and any other sentient male over 6ft tall who happens to be walking past Stamford Bridge at around 10.30pm (GMT) tomorrow, the mooted move of Edin Dzeko to Chelsea has fallen through after the Roma striker failed to agree personal terms on an 18-month contract. His Roma team-mate Emerson Palmieri will be flying in to cough for the Chelsea medics later today, after the two clubs agreed a fee of £17.6 plus £7m in add-ons for the left-back. Giroud remains the favourite to go to Chelsea instead of Dzeko, as Arsenal charitably bid to increase their London rivals’ chances of beating them to a Champions League qualification spot, while out-of-favour defender David Luiz could go the other way as a makeweight in any deal.

One of those players hailed as a real bargain when he was signed for £11m last summer, Swansea City flop Roque Mesa has gone to Sevilla on loan. Crystal Palace remain interested in Lille central defender Ibrahim Amadou and Getafe goalkeeper Vicente Guaita, while Burnley have made an audacious £10m bid for Nottingham Forest’s 21-year-old centre-half Joe Worrall. Relegation threatened Stoke are hoping to get their £14m deal for Galatasaray midfielder Badou Ndiaye over the line today, but will miss out on 21-year-old local lad-turned-New York City star, Jack Harrison, who is off to Manchester City and will promptly be shipped out on loan to Middlesbrough.

And finally, in dire need of a notoriously calming influence for the many overpaid and under-achieving troublemakers in their squad, Sunderland hope to sign Norn Iron and Hearts frontman Kyle Lafferty. Sunderland boss Chris Coleman had offered Chris Martin a loan deal, but decided the dithering Derby County striker wasn’t for him when he went all Eddie Murphy and Nick Nolte by asking for 48 Hours and then Another 48 Hours to think about his decision.

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Needed a 6 week break from my copy and paste skills, but its back, big up to my loyal subscribers, thought about charging people, 10p payable in pay pal to read this, haha, but thought better of it...

Monday 12th of March.

Wales forward Gareth Bale, 28, is set to leave Real Madrid this summer, with a return to the Premier League likely. (Diario Gol)

The La Liga side are interested in Liverpool's Mohamed Salah, 25, as a replacement for Bale but have been told they would have to pay 160m euros (£142m) for the Egypt forward. (El Confidencial)

Manchester United are the favourites to sign Bayern Munich's Poland striker Robert Lewandowski, 29, this summer. (ESPN)

But RB Leipzig's 22-year-old Germany forward Timo Werner has told United and Liverpool to forget abut trying to sign him this summer. (Mirror)

England are concerned about the fitness of Tottenham striker Harry Kane, 24, for this summer's World Cup after he was pictured wearing a protective boot after injuring his ankle against Bournemouth. (Sun)

Juventus don't expect the future of Liverpool midfielder Emre Can to be decided until the summer. The 24-year-old Germany midfielder is out of contract at Anfield in July and could join the Italian giants on a free transfer. (Liverpool Echo)

The president of Greek club PAOK Salonika invaded the pitch after his side were denied a last-minute goal on Sunday and appeared to be carrying a gun. (Sun)

Arsenal face competition from Napoli and Roma in their bid to sign 19-year-old French goalkeeper Alban Lafont from Toulouse. (L'Equipe - in French)

The Gunners are ready to loan out 18-year-old duo Eddie Nketiah and Reiss Nelson. (Mirror)

West Ham's owners have demanded talks with Mayor of London Sadiq Khan and said they will not be bullied out of attending matches at London Stadium. (Mirror)

Hammers co-owner David Gold was left in tears after fan protests at their game against Burnley on Saturday. (Sky Sports)

West Ham captain Mark Noble is highly unlikely to face retrospective action after he clashed with a fan on the pitch. (Mail)

Monaco's Portugal midfielder Rony Lopes, 22, has said he would like to return to Manchester City in the future, having left the club in 2015. (Manchester Evening News)

Sunderland manager Chris Coleman said he "had to take a gamble" with their January signings after the club continued to struggle following their arrival at the Stadium of Light. (Sunderland Echo)

Best of Sunday's gossip

Liverpool are confident of sealing a record £40m deal for 24-year-old England and Stoke City goalkeeper Jack Butland. (Sunday Mirror)

Manchester United are planning to move for Juventus' Brazil left-back Alex Sandro, 27, in the summer with 28-year-old Italian defender Matteo Darmian as makeweight. (Sunday People)

Paris St-Germain are not open to selling forward Neymar, 26, to the Brazil international's former club Barcelona or their rivals Real Madrid. (Sky Sports)

AC Milan are poised to make a move for Arsenal midfielder Jack Wilshere, 26, who is out of contract at the end of the season and has been unable to agree a new deal with the Gunners. (Sunday Express)

Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola, 47, says he has a 10-year plan to continue in management. Guardiola is in talks over extending his present contract, which expires in 2019. (Sunday Mirror)

Real Madrid will pursue a deal for Hajduk Split's 21-year-old Croatian goalkeeper Karlo Letica if they are unable to bring in Manchester United's David de Gea, 27, or Chelsea's 25-year-old Belgium number one Thibaut Courtois. (Marca)

Guardian Rumour Mill

Gregg Bakowski

Jürgen Klopp hasn’t won a trophy at Anfield yet but that hasn’t stopped the Liverpool manager from dreaming of a double in a calendar year. Not that it has anything to do with silverware. No, having broken the world record for signing the most expensive defender in history when he spent a cool £75m on Virgil van Dijk, the once frugal German now wants to break the record for splashing the most cash on a goalkeeper by parting with £40m for Stoke’s Jack Butland. It says here that Arsenal are keen on the 25-year-old too – what with Petr Cech approaching pension age and all – but the prospect of a loving Klopp bear-hug has convinced Butland that his future lies on Merseyside.

Over at Old Trafford José Mourinho reckons it’s time to annoy Luke Shaw again – so he’ll ask Ed Woodward to double Alex Sandro’s wages and send £70m to Juventus in order to do make Shaw fifth in Manchester United’s left-back pecking order. United will offer Matteo Darmian as a makeweight in any deal with Juve while they’ll attach some cash to Daley Blind and parade him outside the Johan Cruyff Arena in the hope that Ajax will accept the utility player in exchange for Justin Kluivert.

Word is that Neymar wants to go back to Barcelona but PSG’s Qatari overlords have ordered the club to prevent him from doing any such thing. Good luck with that one Neymar.

Hector Bellerín is going to take his cartoon-style sprinting technique and mockney accent to Turin, having decided that being a key character in Arsenal’s soap opera is too much to bear. The Gunners won’t let him escape to Juventus for anything less than £45m, though.

Because he’s clearly just as bonkers as he is a genius, Pep Guardiola has taken a good, long, hard look at his Manchester City team and come to the conclusion it lacks creativity. So Thomas Lemar will be wedged into it once Manchester City beancounters have sent around £90m to Monaco for his services.

Christian Benteke is considering trousering a load of cash in China for doing very little instead of trousering a load of cash at Crystal Palace for doing very little.

Watford midfielder Abdoulaye Doucoure’s ability to hunt the ball down like a slightly deranged possessive dog looking for its favourite toy has got scouts hot and bothered at Manchester United, Arsenal, Spurs and Liverpool. He would fit right into the Jack Wilshere-shaped hole at Arsenal should the pocket-sized Gunner decide to sign a more lucrative contract offer at Milan in the summer instead of signing up for a wage cut to stay at the Emirates.

And news of David Wagner’s Huddersfield heroics has finally reached Borussia Dortmund. The Bundesliga giants plan to offer their former reserve team manager the big job at Westfalenstadion, having been thoroughly bored watching Peter Stöger try to put his stamp on the team this season.

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Needed a 6 week break from my copy and paste skills, but its back, big up to my loyal subscribers, thought about charging people, 10p payable in pay pal to read this, haha, but thought better of it...

Monday 12th of March.

Wales forward Gareth Bale, 28, is set to leave Real Madrid this summer, with a return to the Premier League likely. (Diario Gol)

The La Liga side are interested in Liverpool's Mohamed Salah, 25, as a replacement for Bale but have been told they would have to pay 160m euros (£142m) for the Egypt forward. (El Confidencial)

Manchester United are the favourites to sign Bayern Munich's Poland striker Robert Lewandowski, 29, this summer. (ESPN)

But RB Leipzig's 22-year-old Germany forward Timo Werner has told United and Liverpool to forget abut trying to sign him this summer. (Mirror)

England are concerned about the fitness of Tottenham striker Harry Kane, 24, for this summer's World Cup after he was pictured wearing a protective boot after injuring his ankle against Bournemouth. (Sun)

Juventus don't expect the future of Liverpool midfielder Emre Can to be decided until the summer. The 24-year-old Germany midfielder is out of contract at Anfield in July and could join the Italian giants on a free transfer. (Liverpool Echo)

The president of Greek club PAOK Salonika invaded the pitch after his side were denied a last-minute goal on Sunday and appeared to be carrying a gun. (Sun)

Arsenal face competition from Napoli and Roma in their bid to sign 19-year-old French goalkeeper Alban Lafont from Toulouse. (L'Equipe - in French)

The Gunners are ready to loan out 18-year-old duo Eddie Nketiah and Reiss Nelson. (Mirror)

West Ham's owners have demanded talks with Mayor of London Sadiq Khan and said they will not be bullied out of attending matches at London Stadium. (Mirror)

Hammers co-owner David Gold was left in tears after fan protests at their game against Burnley on Saturday. (Sky Sports)

West Ham captain Mark Noble is highly unlikely to face retrospective action after he clashed with a fan on the pitch. (Mail)

Monaco's Portugal midfielder Rony Lopes, 22, has said he would like to return to Manchester City in the future, having left the club in 2015. (Manchester Evening News)

Sunderland manager Chris Coleman said he "had to take a gamble" with their January signings after the club continued to struggle following their arrival at the Stadium of Light. (Sunderland Echo)

Best of Sunday's gossip

Liverpool are confident of sealing a record £40m deal for 24-year-old England and Stoke City goalkeeper Jack Butland. (Sunday Mirror)

Manchester United are planning to move for Juventus' Brazil left-back Alex Sandro, 27, in the summer with 28-year-old Italian defender Matteo Darmian as makeweight. (Sunday People)

Paris St-Germain are not open to selling forward Neymar, 26, to the Brazil international's former club Barcelona or their rivals Real Madrid. (Sky Sports)

AC Milan are poised to make a move for Arsenal midfielder Jack Wilshere, 26, who is out of contract at the end of the season and has been unable to agree a new deal with the Gunners. (Sunday Express)

Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola, 47, says he has a 10-year plan to continue in management. Guardiola is in talks over extending his present contract, which expires in 2019. (Sunday Mirror)

Real Madrid will pursue a deal for Hajduk Split's 21-year-old Croatian goalkeeper Karlo Letica if they are unable to bring in Manchester United's David de Gea, 27, or Chelsea's 25-year-old Belgium number one Thibaut Courtois. (Marca)

Guardian Rumour Mill

Gregg Bakowski

Jürgen Klopp hasn’t won a trophy at Anfield yet but that hasn’t stopped the Liverpool manager from dreaming of a double in a calendar year. Not that it has anything to do with silverware. No, having broken the world record for signing the most expensive defender in history when he spent a cool £75m on Virgil van Dijk, the once frugal German now wants to break the record for splashing the most cash on a goalkeeper by parting with £40m for Stoke’s Jack Butland. It says here that Arsenal are keen on the 25-year-old too – what with Petr Cech approaching pension age and all – but the prospect of a loving Klopp bear-hug has convinced Butland that his future lies on Merseyside.

Over at Old Trafford José Mourinho reckons it’s time to annoy Luke Shaw again – so he’ll ask Ed Woodward to double Alex Sandro’s wages and send £70m to Juventus in order to do make Shaw fifth in Manchester United’s left-back pecking order. United will offer Matteo Darmian as a makeweight in any deal with Juve while they’ll attach some cash to Daley Blind and parade him outside the Johan Cruyff Arena in the hope that Ajax will accept the utility player in exchange for Justin Kluivert.

Word is that Neymar wants to go back to Barcelona but PSG’s Qatari overlords have ordered the club to prevent him from doing any such thing. Good luck with that one Neymar.

Hector Bellerín is going to take his cartoon-style sprinting technique and mockney accent to Turin, having decided that being a key character in Arsenal’s soap opera is too much to bear. The Gunners won’t let him escape to Juventus for anything less than £45m, though.

Because he’s clearly just as bonkers as he is a genius, Pep Guardiola has taken a good, long, hard look at his Manchester City team and come to the conclusion it lacks creativity. So Thomas Lemar will be wedged into it once Manchester City beancounters have sent around £90m to Monaco for his services.

Christian Benteke is considering trousering a load of cash in China for doing very little instead of trousering a load of cash at Crystal Palace for doing very little.

Watford midfielder Abdoulaye Doucoure’s ability to hunt the ball down like a slightly deranged possessive dog looking for its favourite toy has got scouts hot and bothered at Manchester United, Arsenal, Spurs and Liverpool. He would fit right into the Jack Wilshere-shaped hole at Arsenal should the pocket-sized Gunner decide to sign a more lucrative contract offer at Milan in the summer instead of signing up for a wage cut to stay at the Emirates.

And news of David Wagner’s Huddersfield heroics has finally reached Borussia Dortmund. The Bundesliga giants plan to offer their former reserve team manager the big job at Westfalenstadion, having been thoroughly bored watching Peter Stöger try to put his stamp on the team this season.

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Former Watford boss Marco Silva is among the candidates for the Southampton manager's job after they sacked Mauricio Pellegrino on Monday. (Mail)

Alternatively, Silva is set to return to his native Portugal as he is close to agreeing a deal to become the new coach of Benfica. (Times - subscription required)

Tottenham striker Harry Kane has been linked with a move to Real Madrid but the 24-year-old has suggested he will be staying with Spurs as he "can't wait to be out there scoring some goals" at the club's new stadium. (Telegraph)

Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho has told Real Madrid to "think of another player" in their search for a goalkeeper as he believes David de Gea, 27, will stay. (Express)

Liverpool and Manchester United's hopes of signing Lazio defender Stefan de Vrij, 26, could still be on as Inter Milan failed to confirm they would be signing the Dutch defender whose contract runs out at the end of the season. (Star)

Newcastle will try to sign on-loan Chelsea winger Kenedy on a permanent deal but will have to pay up to £15m for the 22-year-old Brazilian. (Mirror)

Juventus are concerned they may miss out on Liverpool midfielder Emre Can, whose contract expires at the end of the season, as Bayern Munich and Real Madrid are also interested in signing the 24-year-old Germany international. (Express)

Arsenal are ready to sell Hector Bellerin to help fund their rebuilding plans, but want £50m for the 22-year-old right-back. Juventus are interested in signing the Spaniard. (Mail)

Gunners striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, 28, is "frustrated" at being cup-tied for the Europa League, having played for former club Borussia Dortmund in the competition before his January switch to Arsenal, as there is "a long time between games" for him. (Guardian)

Philippe Coutinho says he would love 26-year-old Brazil forward Neymar to return to Barcelona. Neymar joined PSG from Barca for £198m last summer, before compatriot Coutinho, 25, moved to the Nou Camp from Liverpool in January. (Mail)

Napoli coach Maurizio Sarri has apologised for "sexist and unacceptable" comments he made to a female journalist after his side's Serie A match on Sunday. (Mail)

West Ham are involved in a £100m-plus legal dispute with their London Stadium owners over the capacity as the stadium. (Telegraph)

The £2.5m rent West Ham pay to play at the London Stadium will drop by half if they are relegated to the Championship. (Sun)

Best of Monday's gossip

Wales forward Gareth Bale, 28, is set to leave Real Madrid this summer, with a return to the Premier League likely. (Diario Gol)

The La Liga side are interested in Liverpool's Mohamed Salah, 25, as a replacement for Bale but have been told they would have to pay 160m euros (£142m) for the Egypt forward. (El Confidencial)

Manchester United are the favourites to sign Bayern Munich's Poland striker Robert Lewandowski, 29, this summer. (ESPN)

But RB Leipzig's 22-year-old Germany forward Timo Werner has told United and Liverpool to forget abut trying to sign him this summer. (Mirror)

England are concerned about the fitness of Tottenham striker Harry Kane, 24, for this summer's World Cup after he was pictured wearing a protective boot after injuring his ankle against Bournemouth. (Sun)

When Paris Saint-Germain close their eyes and envisage the ideal player to improve their midfield, they see N’Golo Kanté. And when PSG open their eyes and look at Chelsea’s midfield, they see N’Golo Kanté. They see him here, they see him there, those Frenchies see him everywhere. He’s like the Scarlet Pimpernel in reverse, and that darned ubiquitous Kanté will be the subject of a mind-altering transfer bid from PSG this summer.

If he returns to the city of his birth, Kanté may find Antonio Conte there, too, as there are mutterings in France about a meeting between PSG and people close to the current Chelsea manager. But PSG’s Brazilian players are said to have let it be known that they would prefer Unai Emery’s successor to be the former Barça boss Luis Enrique.

Having sacked Mauricio Pellegrino in a bid to shock their players into action, Southampton are on the prowl for a new manager. Mark Hughes is said to be in the running, although wags might say his last 18 months at Stoke was the biggest contribution he could make to Southampton’s attempt to stay up. Marco Silva has also been mentioned but the grapevine says he’s more likely to join Benfica.

Manchester United and Liverpool are set to lock horns again, this time for the services of the Dutch defender Stefan De Vrij, whose mooted move from Lazio to Internazionale has reportedly collapsed. Meanwhile, when Emre Can leaves Liverpool this summer, it might not be to Juventus, after all, because Bayern Munich and Real Madrid are said to have joined the queue for him.

Reports in France claim that Antoine Griezmann will join Barcelona this summer after leaving Atlético Madrid. Reports in England say Arsenal are considering offering a managerial role to Massimiliano Allegri after being impressed by the way Juve knocked Spurs out of the Champions League. You’d have thought Allegri might have been on the radar before then, mind. If Allegri does join, he’ll wave Héctor Bellerín off in the other direction, as Juve are said to be keen on hiring the right-back.

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Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho is set to clash with the club's senior officials over his summer transfer budget and, with tensions rising, Paris St-Germain might try to tempt him to France. (Mirror)

Senior figures inside Old Trafford are questioning whether Jose Mourinho is the right man to lead Manchester United. (Mail)

Mourinho has decided on four key targets, and as many seven of his current squad could be sold. (Independent)

United want to sign Chelsea and Brazil midfielder Willian this summer, with the 29-year-old expected to cost about £60m. (Sun)

Leicester manager Claude Puel is expected to be given a significant transfer budget this summer. (Leicester Mercury)

Chelsea are keen to sign Juventus' 29-year-old Ghana full-back Kwadwo Asamoah on a free transfer when his contract runs out in the summer. (Sun)

Bayern Munich are interested in Liverpool's 24-year-old Germany midfielder Emre Can - as are Juventus.(Mirror)

Manchester City are set to sign a £45m-a-year sponsorship deal with Puma. Their current deal with Nike is worth £18m a year. (Sun)

Liverpool's 17-year-old forward Rhian Brewster will be promoted into the first-team squad when he returns from injury for the start of next season. (Telegraph)

Burnley's 25-year-old defender James Tarkowski is set to receive his first call-up to the England team. (Times - subscription required)

Fifa has expanded its investigation into whether Manchester City broke rules on signing youth players. The club could be punished with a transfer ban if found guilty of wrongdoing. (Telegraph)

Atletico Madrid chief executive Miguel Angel Gil had to spend the night in a hotel in Moscow's Sheremetyevo airport because he could not find his passport when he landed from Spain on Tuesday. (El Pais - in Spanish)

Stoke record signing Giannelli Imbula has been named in the DR Congo squad, his first international call-up. The 25-year-old midfielder is on loan at French club Toulouse. (Stoke Sentinel)

Tottenham striker Son Heung-min could miss the start of next season if South Korea decide to include him as one of three overage players in their under-23 squad for the Asian Games. (Evening Standard)

West Ham manager David Moyes stood up in defence of his players' holiday break in Florida break this week, amid opposition from the club's board. (Mirror)

Guardian Rumour Mill

Simon Burnton

José Mourinho has got a cunning plan to turn Manchester United into a European force once more, a method that will surely transform this underperforming outfit into the powerhouse they are used to being and deserve to be. It’s to spend a whole load of cash on some new players. If only United had thought of that a few years ago!

“He believes the Old Trafford giants have been too frugal in their outlay,” writes the Mirror but, after spanking very nearly £300m only to have a team that is leaving the world of football with socks very much not blown off, “United are understood to be unwilling to hand him the vast sums he wants”. Among the players he is most keen to snap up, reports the Sun, is Chelsea’s Willian, who he tried but failed to sign last summer and might cost as much as £60m even though he turns 30 a few days before next season gets under way. Plus there’s Anderson Talisca, the 24-year-old attacking midfielder currently on loan from Benfica to Besiktas. Mourinho is again said to be a big fan, and a £35m deal is in the offing.
'So much money, so poor' – Spanish press lays into Manchester United
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The Independent thinks that Mourinho wants to add “four key players” to his squad in the summer, and will sanction the departure of seven current first-teamers to part-fund his recruitment drive. Among those four, Mourinho wants a top-class centre-half, “with Barcelona’s Samuel Umtiti and Tottenham Hotspur’s Toby Alderweireld the main targets”, and “a controlling midfielder” – Paris St-Germain’s Marco Verratti, possibly in some kind of Paul Pogba-based swap arrangement, and Real Madrid’s Toni Kroos, possibly in some kind of David de Gea-based swap arrangement, have been discussed. In total contrast to the Mirror’s suggestion that Mourinho’s transfer planning lacks the backing of the boardroom, the Independent insists that Ed Woodward, the executive vice-chairman, “is fully behind” it. And if some kind of manager-suit disagreement does transpire, “PSG will do all they can to exploit it in their attempts to land him”, writes the Mirror.

Emre Can’s much-mooted move to Juventus might not happen after all – when the Bianconeri’s chief executive Giuseppe Marotta said earlier this week that “there are other contenders and we await a response”, the rival bidders he was referring to were Bayern Munich. Meanwhile Kwadwo Asamoah’s contract at Juventus is also up in the summer, and Chelsea have set their sights on the 29-year-old left-sided type. Plus Andrés Iniesta might go to China. “Before 30 April I have to make the decision whether I’m still in Barcelona or I’m going,” he said. And Arsenal have had “conversations” about the 20-year-old midfield prospect Maycon, though Shakhtar Donetsk and Napoli would both also like to sign him from Corinthians.

Meanwhile in Germany, Stuttgart’s sporting executive, Michael Reschke, thinks that Tottenham, Liverpool and all the other clubs currently getting excited about their 21-year-old French defender Benjamin Pavard are wasting their time. “We are the ideal club for him right now and he feels that,” Reschke warned. “If this summer a club believes they can sign him for €30m, that club is profoundly wrong. We wouldn’t even open the door.”

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Manchester United are concerned that Chile forward Alexis Sanchez, 29, is struggling to settle at the club and fear a repeat of the circumstances around Paris St-Germain and Argentina winger Angel di Maria's brief spell at Old Trafford. (Mail)

England coach Gareth Southgate has banned his players from eating Starbucks food - and having syrup in their cappuccinos - at the team hotel's cafe. (ESPN)

West Ham United are in a fresh legal dispute with London Stadium's landlords over who should pay for a series of costs including providing draught beer, Sky TV and hospitality staff. (The Times - subscription required)

Aston Villa forward Jack Grealish is eyeing promotion to the Premier League and still hopes for an England call-up. (Telegraph - subscription required)

Manchester United striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic could be in trouble with the Football Association over his involvement with a new betting company. (Mirror)

Liverpool will not sell forward Mohamed Salah, 25, this summer and the Egyptian does not have a release clause in this contract. (ESPN)

Vodafone Egypt will give all of its phone customers 11 minutes of free call time every time Salah scores. (Mirror)

Best of Tuesday's gossip

Barcelona, Paris St-Germain and Real Madrid are all interested in signing Liverpool forward Mohamed Salah, 25, for £200m. The Egypt international has scored 28 Premier League goals so far this season. (Sun)

Liverpool will resist any attempts by clubs to sign Salah as the Anfield club target winning the Premier League next season. (Times - subscription required)

Manchester United defender Luke Shaw, 22, feels manager Jose Mourinho is freezing him out, and the England international could take his complaint to executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward. (Mirror)

Shaw will not be forced out of Manchester United this summer and could see out the final year of his contract before leaving on a free transfer during summer 2019. (Guardian)

Chelsea are leading the chase for Shaw, who is a boyhood Blues fan, if he decides to leave Manchester United this summer. (Mail)

Senior figures at United are becoming increasingly worried by manager Mourinho's treatment of Shaw and the impact it is having on the left-back's transfer value. (Telegraph)

Tottenham are set to go back to Crystal Palace with a £40m bid for winger Wilfried Zaha, 25, but the Eagles believe he is worth more. (Mail)

Guardian Rumour Mill

Paul Doyle

Toby Alderweireld has pledged his short-term future to Tottenham, which is to say he has two years left on his current deal with the club. But that is not enough, apparently, and a sense of urgency is being generated whereby we are given to understand that if the Belgian does not sign a new contract pronto, Spurs will have little choice but to flog him this summer. Chelsea, Manchester United and PSG would certainly like Spurs to believe those are the stakes, because they are all willing to offer the 29-year-old a luxurious new home way beyond anything his current employers could afford.

But Chelsea can be the prey, too. Barcelona are said to be lining up a swoop for Marcos Alonso, on the recommendation of Lionel Messi, no less. The Catalan club had been considering going for Bayern Munich’s David Alaba but Messi reckons Alonso is a better fit. If he goes, Chelsea could try to squeeze Luke Shaw into his spot. Anthony Martial is also said to be on his way to the Old Trafford exit, after his agent declined to declare that the Frenchman will definitely be a Manchester United player next season. If that seems like skimpy evidence, you’ve not been reading the Mill long enough.

Paulo Dybala looks set to leave Juventus for Madrid this summer but not necessarily to Real – because Atlético’s Diego Simeone has identified him as the ideal replacement for Antoine Griezmann, who could skip town for Barcelona. On the other hand, Barcelona or Real may go all out for Mo Salah. Liverpool are insisting they will not sell their phenomenal pharaoh this summer even for a world record fee – but they once said something similar about Philippe Coutinho.

Liverpool are hoping to do business with Real over Dani Ceballos. The bad news for them is that the midfielder is said to prefer a move to Italy, where both Juventus and Milan will happily take him in. Elsewhere, Arsenal are planning to make another attempt to lure RB Leipzig’s speedy Swedish forward Emil Forsberg.

Despite leading Nantes to a creditable sixth place in Ligue 1, Claudio Ranieri has reputedly become disenchanted with the limitations at the French club (record so far this season: Played 30, scored 30, conceded 30) and will leave in the summer. Lyon’s ears have pricked up at that news.

Rennes, the club from which Chelsea signed Petr Cech, have another talented
Czech goalkeeper on their hands – and several Premier League clubs want to
make Tomas Koubek theirs. And when we say “Premier League clubs”, we mean outfits who may not be Premier League clubs by the time the transfer window reopens, such as West Ham and Southampton.

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Atletico Madrid forward Antoine Griezmann wants his future resolved before he travels to this summer's World Cup with France. The 27-year-old has been linked with a move to Barcelona. (L'Equipe via Sky Sports)

Tottenham are considering triggering the £3m release clause in Jonny Evans' West Brom contract if the Baggies are relegated. The 30-year-old Northern Ireland defender could also be a target for Arsenal. (Telegraph)

Swedish striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic, 36, will sign a deal worth $1.5m (£1m) with LA Galaxy until the end of the 2019 season after leaving Manchester United. (Sports Illustrated)

There are concerns at Manchester United over the state of mind of France midfielder Paul Pogba, 25, and 29-year-old Chile winger Alexis Sanchez, with manager Jose Mourinho facing a struggle to revitalise the players. (Telegraph)

Juventus will not move for Arsenal's Spain full-back Hector Bellerin, 23, as they are confident of signing 28-year-old Italian defender Matteo Darmian from Manchester United. (Goal)

Gunners striker Lucas Perez, 29, wants to return to the Premier League side after a disappointing loan spell at Deportivo La Coruna. The Spaniard has been mocked by fans after a disappointing season at the La Liga side. (Independent)

Atletico Madrid and Slovenia goalkeeper Jan Oblak says he is unsure if he will remain at the club next season. Arsenal are keen on the 25-year-old as a replacement for 35-year-old former Czech Republic international Petr Cech. (London Evening Standard)

Chelsea's Argentine goalkeeper Willy Caballero, 36, will remain at the club until June 2019, but 25-year-old Thibaut Courtois could still leave. Belgium international Courtois is out of contract at the end of next season. (Goal)

Former Italy midfielder Andrea Pirlo could be given his first coaching role with the national team if either Carlo Ancelotti or Antonio Conte take over as manager. (Gazzetta dello Sport via Football Italia)

Paris St-Germain want Juventus coach Massimiliano Allegri to replace Unai Emery at the end of the season. (ESPN)

Former Swansea boss Paul Clement will become the new Reading manager. (Telegraph)

Eight-time Olympic champion Usain Bolt will train with Bundesliga side Borussia Dortmund in a session that is open to the public. (Yahoo Sports)

Bournemouth midfielder Lewis Cook, 21, will win £17,000 for his grandfather if he plays for England against the Netherlands or Italy. (Yorkshire Evening Post)

Stoke's 29-year-old Dutch defender Erik Pieters has apologised for breaking a curfew and going to a night club the evening before Stoke's match with Everton last weekend. (Stoke Sentinel)

Former Arsenal midfielder Alexander Hleb, 36, has revealed he will retire at the end of the season after the Belarusian rejoined BATE Borisov for a fifth time. (Sun)

Guardian Rumour Mill

Paul Doyle

José Mourinho has big plans to funk up Manchester United. But for his process to pay off, he needs to make a few more groovy signings. The problem is, some of his former clubs, as if fuelled by the bitterness of jilted lovers are out to sabotage him.

Internazionale – to whom he gave a Champions League victory, no less – intend to show their gratitude by snapping up Lautaro Martínez, the rising star of Argentinian football whom United have had their eye on for a while. Word is the 20-year-old attacker could leave Racing Club for Italy this summer.

And then there is Real Madrid, who are closing in on Lazio’s Sergej Milinkovic-Savic, whom they view as the rightful heir to Luka Modric, even though Mourinho had the Serb pegged for United’s midfield and even fancied that Nemanja Matic might have a word to swing the deal.

But it’s not all about knocks and setbacks for Mourinho– because Juventus still want to buy Matteo Darmian, whom they rate above Héctor Bellerín. Mourinho is also considering sending a taxi to bring Jonny Evans back to Old Trafford, as the Northern Irishman has a release cause that enables him to leave the Hawthorns for £3m in the event of West Brom going down. Arsenal want some of that action, too.

Mostly though, Arsenal’s sights are focused firmly on the Bundesliga– you’d never guess their new head of recruitment came from Dortmund – and they particularly like the look of the Schalke midfielder Maximilian Meyer, whose contract is close to expiring.

Having said that, Arsenal also like the look of Jan Oblak, the Atlético Madrid goalkeeper. He will be available if the Spanish side renew their working relationship with Thibaut Courtois this summer. Lucas Pérez wants to return to Arsenal after a dismal season on loan at Deportivo. Arsenal fans are not believed to be breaking out the bunting in anticipation of that one but hey, at least the lad will have a point to prove.

Paris Saint-Germain could be toppled again in France before they ever fulful their Champions League ambitions, if it is true that an Abu Dhabi tycoon is behind a £420m attempt to buy Monaco.

Finally, Andrea Pirlo could become Italy’s No 2 if Carlo Ancelotti or Antonio Conte is made the country’s No 1.

Pogba and Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho are barely on speaking terms after the France international was dropped by his club last month. (Sun on Sunday)

Mourinho does not think 'player power' will get him the sack at Old Trafford. (Mail on Sunday)

Paris St-Germain have opened talks with Antonio Conte's representatives about the Italian manager moving to the French capital from Chelsea this summer. (Guardian)

Liverpool and Egypt forward Mohamed Salah, 25, is ready to rebuff Real Madrid and is expected to be offered a £200,000-a-week contract at Anfield. (Sunday Mirror)

Former Borussia Dortmund coach Thomas Tuchel has turned down the Bayern Munich job because he is in negotiations with Arsenal. (Bild - in German)

Arsenal and Chelsea are set to rival each other in their attempts to sign Atletico Madrid's Slovenian keeper Jan Oblak, 25. (Sunday Express)

Hector Bellerin's agent says the Spain defender is happy at Arsenal and no offer has been made for the 23-year-old. (CRC via Sky Sports)

West Ham are looking into appointing former Manchester City boss Manuel Pellegrini as their manager for next season. (Sun on Sunday)

Albanian defender Elseid Hysaj has told Napoli a club is prepared to meet his 50m euro (£43.7m) release clause. The 24-year-old is a target for both Arsenal and Manchester United. (Tuttosport via Talksport)

Barnsley full-back Andy Yiadom, 26, is not considering a move to Leeds United, or anywhere else, until the Tykes are safe from relegation. (Leeds Live)

Croatian former QPR and Tottenham midfielder Niko Kranjcar, 33, says he has "options on the table" after leaving Scottish Premiership side Rangers. (GetWestLondon)

Manchester United say the reason Chile forward Alexis Sanchez was pictured eating alone at the club's training ground was that he had stayed on for extra shooting practice. (Star on Sunday)

Manchester City midfielder David Silva has been allowed to leave Spain's squad for "personal reasons". (Independent)

Manchester City winger Leroy Sane has been clocked as the fastest player in the Premier League this season and also the quickest since such records began in 2013-14. (Mail on Sunday)

England striker Jamie Vardy, 31, failed to get a touch after coming on as a late substitute against the Netherlands but hopes to start against Italy on Tuesday. (Guardian)

At least one England player is thinking of hiring his own security firm to travel with his family to this summer's World Cup in Russia. (Telegraph)

Tottenham's Belgium defender Jan Vertonghen says the "semi-finals are a realistic goal, and then hopefully more" for his country, who are in the same group as England, at the World Cup. (Telegraph)

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger says calls for him to leave are down to "age discrimination". (Telegraph)

Inter Milan have beaten Manchester City and Barcelona to the signing of 26-year-old Dutch defender Stefan de Vrij, who will join from Lazio on a free transfer at the end of the season. (Gazzetta dello Sport - in Italian)

Manchester City's 17-year-old midfielder Phil Foden and Borussia Dortmund's 18-year-old forward Jadon Sancho were dropped from England's European Under-19 Championship qualifying win over Latvia on Saturday because they turned up late for training. (Telegraph)

Burnley defender James Tarkowski, 25, and Swansea centre-back Alfie Mawson, 24, could make their debuts for England against Italy on Tuesday. (Times - subscription required)

England manager Gareth Southgate is concerned by the fitness of Liverpool midfielder Adam Lallana, 29, and is set to leave Chelsea's 32-year-old centre-back Gary Cahill, Manchester United defender Chris Smalling, 28, and Arsenal midfielder Jack Wilshere, 26, out of his 2018 World Cup squad. (Sun)

Brighton and Bournemouth are interested in Celtic's 29-year-old English forward Scott Sinclair. (Mail)

Swansea are keen to turn the loan signing of 29-year-old Wales midfielder Andy King from Leicester into a permanent deal if they avoid relegation. (Mirror)

Manchester United and Spain goalkeeper David de Gea says the ball for this summer's World Cup is "really strange" and "could have been made better". (AS)

Premier League clubs will delay the implementation of VAR for another season when they vote on the issue on 13 April. (Mirror)

Tottenham forward Son Heung-min believes Spurs team-mate Harry Kane is the best player in the world. (Sky Sports)

Up to 42,000 fans are expected to attend Spain's open training session at the Wanda Metropolitano - Atletico Madrid's ground - on Monday. (AS)

Montpellier jokingly called for the FBI and French Ligue 1 to investigate why they have not been awarded a penalty for a year. (Montpellier on Twitter)

A tax tribunal ruling has gone against West Ham co-owner David Sullivan but he plans to appeal. (Times - subscription required)

Former Sunderland striker Niall Quinn could return as part of a consortium to take over the struggling Championship side. (Express)

Guardian Rumour Mill

Gregg Bakowski

José Mourinho hasn’t upset anyone for the past 48 hours so he plans to put this right by attaching Paul Pogba to a rod and dangling him in front of some of Europe’s biggest fish, in the hope they will gobble up the France midfielder and offer Manchester United some tasty treats in exchange. Apparently, the club have had enough of Pogba appearing to be more enthusiastic about posting pictures of his hair on Instagram than he is about tracking back and are targeting a host of players to rebuild the squad if they can recoup a chunk of the £89m they gave Juventus for him.

Toni Kroos and Raphaël Varane are key targets if Real Madrid bite, and pocket-sized Italian trickster Marco Veratti and Brazilian defender Marquinhos would be offered the chance to join Mourinho’s Manchester Fun House if PSG took Pogba back to France. United would also have a nibble at Neymar if the Brazilian is allowed to leave by the club’s Qatari owners.
PSG hold talks with Antonio Conte’s representatives over summer move
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But it says here that Real Madrid’s preferred United player would be Marcus Rashford. Juventus, too, would be offered the chance to take Pogba back to Turin as long as they part with full-back Alex Sandro, who is valued at around £40m. Oh, and the word is that the chances of Gareth Bale going to Old Trafford have been harmed by Mourinho’s very public bashing of Luke Shaw’s delicate ego.

Over at Manchester City, Pep Guardiola wants a reunion with Jérôme Boateng, whom he managed at Bayern Munich. The defender played for City in 2010-11 but was so underwhelming that he is best remembered for aggravating a knee injury in a collision with an aeroplane drinks trolley.

Reports in Germany suggest that Thomas Tuchel has told Bayern Munich he doesn’t want to just press the play button and win the title at the Allianz Arena. No, because he is a glutton for punishment, he would much rather try to rebuild what’s left of Arsène Wenger’s shattered empire at the Emirates. And the word is he’s already in talks with Arsenal but Chelsea would like the German to replace Antonio Conte, who will be offered £10m a season to make PSG as good as their owners think they should be.

Liverpool are preparing to slap a £200,000-a-week contract and fancy pen in front of Mo Salah in an attempt to ward off a bid from Real Madrid for the goal-guzzling Egyptian. They’re not planning to do the same for Emre Can, though, which is why he’ll sign for Juventus on a free in the summer. West Ham are hoping Jamaal Lascelles is enthused at the idea of playing in a post-apocalyptic environment every other week as they ready a £15m offer for the commanding Newcastle defender.

And 21-year-old Cagliari playmaker Nicolo Barella is expected to do his tricks and flicks at Internazionale next season instead of Liverpool, who had viewed him as a possible long-term replacement for Philippe Coutinho. The Serie A club will have to pay £45m for his services, though.

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Manchester City are to open talks about a new contract with winger Raheem Sterling, 23, before the end of the season. The England international has two years remaining on his deal. (ESPN)

Tottenham want Sporting Lisbon midfielder Bruno Fernandes, 23, but would have to pay £87m to sign the Portugal international. (Abola - in Portuguese)

England manager Gareth Southgate has challenged Spurs midfielder Dele Alli, 21, to show more maturity on and off the pitch if he is to claim a place in the World Cup starting line-up. (Times - subscription required)

Arsenal have held discussions about a move for Freiburg defender Caglar Soyuncu, 21. The Turkey international is valued at £30m by the Bundesliga club. (Mail)

Arsenal's German defender Shkodran Mustafi, 25, says the Gunners had a team meeting after back-to-back defeats by Manchester City in a bid to turn around their poor form. (London Evening Standard)

Chelsea are close to signing Dutch teenager Jayden Braaf, 15, from PSV Eindhoven. Manchester City, Manchester United, West Ham and Bayern Munich had all made approaches to sign the striker. (Mail)

Everton are in a contract row with former manager Ronald Koeman, now Netherlands boss, after it emerged the Merseyside club are paying 90% of the Dutchman's wages. (Liverpool Echo)

Everton are ahead in the battle to sign Arsenal midfielder Jack Wilshere, 26, if he leaves the club this summer. The England international's contract expires in the summer. (Star)

Crystal Palace winger Andros Townsend has not given up hope of starring for England at a major tournament, despite the 26-year-old not representing his country since November 2016. (Sun)

Watford are likely to sell £40m-rated midfielder Abdoulaye Doucoure, 25, in the summer, with Liverpool, Tottenham and Arsenal all interested in the Frenchman. (Mirror)

Stoke midfielder Ibrahim Afellay, 31, has been told to stay away from the club by manager Paul Lambert, who is frustrated by the Dutchman's attitude and performances in training. (Telegraph)

Real Madrid winger Gareth Bale, 28, has been convinced by Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho to join the Premier League club in the summer. (Marca)

Meanwhile, Bale has been told by Wales boss Ryan Giggs to drive with a customised seat in a bid to avoid injuries. (Times - subscription required)

Former Manchester United winger Giggs, 44, says managing Wales for the first time against China made him more nervous than he ever was as a player. (Sky Sports)

Striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic, 36, left Manchester United after they failed to progress in the Champions League, according to the doctor that operated on the Swede's knee injury. He has since joined LA Galaxy. (South China Morning Post)

Manchester United are looking at signing Tottenham midfielder Chukwunonso Madueke, 16, after he turned down the offer of a new contract from the north London club. (Mail)

Italian manager Carlo Ancelotti has declined to take the national team's job as he is waiting for a return to Premier League, with former club Chelsea and Arsenal as options. (ItaSportPress - in Italian)

Juventus midfielder Claudio Marchisio, 32, could leave the club to join MLS side New York City. The Italy international's contract in Turin expires in the summer. (Tutto Mercato Web - in Italian)

Bournemouth midfielder Lewis Cook, 21, made his grandfather £17,000 richer when he made his England debut against Italy on Tuesday. Trevor Burlingham placed a £500 bet in 2014 on Cook winning a senior cap before he turned 26. (Telegraph)

Aston Villa director of football Steve Round says captain John Terry has indicated he would like to stay with the club. The former England defender, 37, had been expected to retire and return to former club Chelsea in a coaching capacity. (Birmingham Mail)

A Leyton Orient fan has won nearly £10m on the National Lottery after he bought a ticket following his side's victory over Woking on Saturday. (Sun)

Guardian Rumour Mill

Paul Doyle

The process. Jose Mourinho has been holding forth on it for quite a while now. Yet it has not always been obvious precisely what it is. But details are now emerging. The next step in the meticulous restoration of Manchester United’s football heritage is, according to certain news organs at least, to shovel the entire contents of a fair-size bank into the pockets of Cristiano Ronaldo. Apparently United have offered to give the 33-year-old an annual salary of nearly £27m if he returns to Old Trafford in the summer. Oh, and United will also pick up Gareth Bale. Well, when you’ve only got Marcus Rashford, Alexis Sanchez, Jesse Lingard, Anthony Martial and Juan Mata, you need to splash out to give yourself some attacking options.

The good news is that if Bale does join, he should be in top fitness thanks to the advice he’s been getting from a former United wing wizard. During the international break, Wales’ manager has apparently been giving Bale tips on how to avoid injuries, including telling him to make sure he has car seat that protects his posture, eases off the golf and doesn’t wear baseball caps. It’s amazing how often you can tear a hamstring while trying to adjust the angle on baseball caps. Best to just avoid them all together.

A good sensible bowler hat is your only man for keeping muscles lithe. Jürgen Klopp has not yet laughed off suggestion that he will take the job of Bayern Munich in the summer. This is causing consternation to some Liverpool fans, who know that Klopp is usually quick to laugh off just about everything. However, it is being suggested that Klopp will use the reported interested from Bayern to lobby even harder for transfers for Liverpool: he is especially keen to bag Dani Carvajal, whom Klopp sees as the ideal upgrade on Emre Can. No, actually, he sees Watford’s Abdoualaye Doucouré as the ideal upgrade on Emre Can. Tell you what. Liverpool should buy both. Danke Bayern!

Arsenal and Spurs also fancy Doucouré, mind. Both are confident they can get him for less than £87m, which is reportedly the amount that Spurs have been quoted for their other main midfield target, Sporting Lisbon’s Bruno Fernandes. Arsenal also want Freiburg’s 21-year-old defender Caglar Söyüncü, a Turkey international.

Everton, meanwhile, have their midfield sights trained on Jack Wilshere. Carlo Ancelotti thinks Arsène Wenger might not be around at Arsenal next season and that’s one of the reasons he declined a chance to manage Italy; the other is that the Chelsea job could also be available. A top London club is where Ancelotti sees his immediate future.

Finally, Chelsea are leading the race to sign 15-year-old Dutch prospect Jayden Braaf, who is also admired by Manchester City, Manchester United, Bayern Munich and, oh go on then, West Ham.

Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola is set to become the world's best-paid manager by signing a new £20m-a-year contract, keeping him at Etihad Stadium until 2020. (Sunday Mirror)

Mourinho has accused Guardiola or leading agent Mino Raiola of lying after the Manchester City boss claimed he was offered Pogba and Armenia midfielder Henrikh Mkhitaryan in January. Mkhitaryan, 29, joined Arsenal from Manchester United in January. (Sunday Telegraph)

Paris St-Germain are lining up a move for 25-year-old Liverpool and Egypt winger Mohamed Salah. (Le10 Sport - in French)

Leicester are ready to buy Norwich's 21-year-old English midfielder James Maddison for £17m if Algeria winger Riyad Mahrez, 27, leaves this summer. (Sun on Sunday)

Amanda Staveley's bid to take over Newcastle is back on following constructive talks with owner Mike Ashley over the past few weeks. (Sunday Mirror)

Everton manager Sam Allardyce has emerged as a contender to become West Brom boss if he is sacked by the Goodison Park club. (Sunday Times - subscription required)

Former Manchester City boss Roberto Mancini is the new favourite to take over as Italy boss after Giampiero Ventura was sacked following the Azzurri's unsuccessful World Cup qualifying campaign. (Sunday Times - subscription required)

Greater Manchester Police will draft in extra offers to protect Liverpool's bus for Tuesday's Champions League quarter-final at Etihad Stadium after Manchester City's bus was attacked before the first leg at Anfield. (Mail on Sunday)

Everton are set to make a summer move for Burnley's Republic of Ireland international winger Robbie Brady, 26. (Sunday Express)

Juventus boss Massimiliano Allegri has moved closer to replacing fellow Italian Antonio Conte at Chelsea next season, with the Serie A side targeting Real manager Zidane as a replacement. (Sunday Express)

Manchester United boss Jose Mourinho is interested in Ajax winger Justin Kluivert, the 18-year-old son of Dutch legend Patrick. (Mirror)

Everton are weighing up a move for former Watford boss Marco Silva to replace Sam Allardyce. (Goal)

Bayern Munich will make a move for Juventus and Argentina striker Paulo Dybala, 24, if they lose Polish striker Robert Lewandowski, 29, this summer. (Bild, via Sun)

Arsenal have beaten Bayern Munich to the signing of 21-year-old Turkish defender Caglar Soyuncu, who currently plays for Bundesliga side Freiburg. (Evening Standard)

Spurs are set to make a £30m summer move for Southampton's England international defender Ryan Bertrand, 28, and are also considering a deal for Swansea's Alfie Mawson, 24. (Star)

Liverpool will face a £10m payout to Southampton if they win the Champions League over clauses in the contracts of former Saints Virgil van Dijk, Sadio Mane, Dejan Lovren, Nathaniel Clyne and Adam Lallana. (Sun)

Manchester City's Vincent Kompany believes team-mate Kevin De Bruyne, 26, should have won the PFA Player of the Year award. (CNN)

Crystal Palace are to hold contract talks with French midfielder Yohan Cabaye, 32, and English defender Joel Ward, 28, next week to clarify their plans for the future. (Guardian)

Aston Villa will try to bring West Brom's English midfielder Gareth Barry, 37, back to the club if they are promoted from the Championship. (Mirror)

Everton, Leicester and Burnley are all interested in 23-year-old Egypt forward Mahmoud Hassan, who is on loan at Turkish side Kasimpasa from Anderlecht. (ESPN)

Midfielder Marouane Fellaini and his representatives will continue discussions with Manchester United over a new contract. The 30-year-old Belgian's deal runs out at the end of the season. (Sky Sports)

Former Leicester City manager Claudio Ranieri has dared Nantes to sack him after the club's president accused him of being unprofessional. (Leicester Mercury)

Belgium keeper Simon Mignolet, 30, says he will wait until after this summer's World Cup before deciding whether to leave Liverpool. (ESPN)

Roy Hodgson says he has no plans to leave Crystal Palace. (Sky Sports)

Guardian Rumour Mill

Simon Burnton

Tottenham are ready to bid £30m for the Southampton left-back Ryan Bertrand, according to the Star, who forecast a significant shake-up in Mauricio Pochettino’s defence. Danny Rose will leave, they predict, with Manchester United his most likely destination, and Toby Alderweireld, who has started just 11 league games this season because of injury and a subsequent failure to regain his place in the team, will probably go with him. The Star say that Chelsea and Paris St-Germain are both interested in the Belgian, but the Express adds Manchester United and Arsenal to that list. Spurs might then move for Swansea’s Alfie Mawson, even though his club are demanding something between £50m (Star) and £40m (Express) for his services. Meanwhile according to the Express, United, Newcastle and Wolves will all join the scrap for Bertrand should the Saints be relegated.

Arsenal will grab Freiburg’s 21-year-old Turkish centre-half Caglar Soyuncu, after the president of his former club, Altinordu of the Turkish second division, let the transfer secret slip (apparently in a speech at the International Football Economic Forum, leaving some question marks over his discretion), though the Independent insist they “want a whole new back five” including a younger goalkeeper – Jan Oblak would be ideal, but probably unaffordable – Borussia Dortmund’s Sokratis Papastathopoulos at centre-half, and two unnamed full-backs to replace the ageing Nacho Monreal and the departing Hector Bellerin, whose future may lie at Juventus.

Jürgen Klopp still wants Christian Pulisic, and will presumably be kicking himself about not returning with a slightly bigger bid when his £11m offer was rejected in 2016. The Mirror insist a fresh attempt is in the offing even though Borussia Dortmund’s sporting director, Michael Zorc, says he is “in constant contact” with Liverpool’s German manager yet “I know nothing about that”. Manchester United, Bayern Munich and Arsenal could be rival bidders for the youngster, whose contract still has two years to run. He’s not the only young winger who United are keen on, though, with Ajax’s Justin “Son of Patrick” Kluivert also on their radar. The 18-year-old’s agent is Mino Raiola, whose number José Mourinho appears to have on speed dial.

Leicester and Watford are both keen on the highly-rated 19-year-old Zorya Luhansk goalkeeper Andriy Lunin, says the Mirror. Lunin already has extensive first-team and European experience and has decided to move to England rather than Internazionale, his other suitors. The only possible conclusion to draw from this story is that Watford, having bought Sweden’s highly-rated 19-year-old goalkeeper Pontus Dahlberg in January only to send him back to IFK Gothenburg on loan, appear hell-bent on sweeping up the entire continent’s stock of highly-rated 19-year-old goalkeepers.

Talking of clubs scouring the planet in search of the very best young talent, Aston Villa have identified the player they want to bolster their midfield should they storm through the play-offs and secure a place in the Premier League – it’s sprightly Gareth Barry, 37 years young.